US President Donald Trump, long opposed to wearing a face covering in public, says he is “all for masks” and they make him look like the Lone Ranger.

Mr. Trump also maintained that face coverings do not need to become mandatory to curb COVID-19’s spread.

He again predicted the infection would “disappear,” as the US hit a new record high of 52,000 virus cases in a day.

His remarks to Fox News come a day after a top republican called on Mr. Trump to wear a mask as an example.

The US now has nearly 2.7 million confirmed COVID-19 infections and more than 128,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the pandemic.