Matthew McConaughey Laments Partisanship in Pandemic Response: Even Mask-Wearing Is Getting Politicized Now

Matthew McConaughey appeared on Fox News Tuesday night with Bret Baier and lamented how so much of the coronavirus pandemic response has been politicized when the nation should be facing the virus united together.

McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin’ Foundation recently put out a PSA sharing that message that “this is not about politics.” He elaborated to Baier:

“About a month ago, I could feel that this united purpose that we all have as Americans to beat this enemy and this virus, that purpose got hijacked a bit by partisan politics. Then all of a sudden the narrative became, if you want to go to work, you’re on the far right. If you don’t want to go to work and you want to stay home, you’re on the far left. Now even the mask wearing is getting politicized. If you want to wear a mask, you wear a mask, you’re liberal, and if you don’t you’re a conservative. And that’s just not true. This created a false divide.”

He said the focus needs to be on the focus and not fighting each other.

Baier said, “Republicans, I think it’s fair to say, don’t want to see people die. And Democrats, I think it’s fair to say, don’t want to see the economy falling apart.”

At one point he asked McConaughey if he thinks the federal government is “doing all it can” to help.

“Well, I don’t know if the federal government is doing all they can,” McConaughey said. “I know they’re doing a lot… What can each of us do independently, individually, in our families, our households, communities, neighborhoods and cities? Act locally. Even this message. This is to the United States of America saying, ‘Hey, we’re in this together.'”

As he talked about what Americans can do, McConaughey added, “If you’re going to reengage right now, please wear a mask. I haven’t heard any science that says that is not a good idea. And I hope we wear masks as a badge of honor and not something that we feel like somebody told us we had to wear, that takes away our identity. I think wearing a mask is not propaganda. I don’t think it’s partisanship or politics. I think a mask is all about our purpose right now, getting us, as in the USA, to best beat this virus. It’s how we can take care of ourselves and others in the crisis.”

You can watch above, via Fox News.