I have seen governors say the same thing. They want President Trump to be the one putting the mask mandate in place so he can be blamed.
But he cannot.
A “mandate” carries some weight. Who would enforce it without a legal backing? And Trump cannot make law.
Case law does support the powers of state and local officials.
“ They want President Trump to be the one putting the mask mandate in place so he can be blamed.”
Trump would be blamed. If it were Biden’s mandate he’d be lauded as the savior of mankind.