Donald John Trump can do damn near whatever he wants to do … or decline to do the same.

However, the president’s declaration that he won’t follow face-mask guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention baffles me.

CDC recommends that we all wear face masks when interacting with other human beings while we wage “war” with the invisible enemy, the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a voluntary measure.

Trump, the head of the executive branch of our government, undercut the CDC on Friday by stating he won’t wear the mask. The reason why is laughable, except that it ain’t funny.

He said he cannot meet with foreign dignitaries while sitting behind the “Resolute Desk” in the Oval Office as he wears a mask. The mask, he implied, would be, um, less than dignified. The president of the United States cannot wear a mask, or worse, be seen by the public wearing a mask.

Huh? As if that matters? As if anyone should care whether the POTUS is wearing a mask?

I would applaud Donald Trump for adhering to the CDC guideline. He would send a message to all Americans that the guidelines are to be taken seriously enough that even the president of the United States is following them!

What we’re getting instead from Donald Trump is just another example of a failure of presidential leadership in a time of crisis.