President Trump jokes about California's COVID-19 mask order

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - With just less than a week until election day, President Trump and his Democratic contender Joe Biden are campaigning hard in battleground states to sway voters. 

One of the biggest hot button issues rolling the nation is COVID-19. Biden and Trump have clashed over the country's response to the pandemic, holding starkly different views on reopening the U.S. economy and face mask requirements. 

The president, who recently suffered a bout of COVID-19, spent months downplaying face masks before eventually softening his tone and occasionally wearing one "when needed." But even still, he flouts health guidelines. Days after he was cleared for the virus he was spotted at an indoor church service in Nevada without a mask. 

So it's no surprise, he poked fun at California's mask mandate. 

At a campaign rally in Arizona, the president joked, "In California, you have a special mask. You cannot under any circumstance take it off. You have to eat through the mask." 

In California, residents are required to wear face coverings in public settings like the grocery store, retail shops, and on mass trasnit. People are also required to wear masks outdoors if there is no room for social distancing.