President Donald Trump took over the famed role of Uncle Sam as he urged people to “slow the spread” of the coronavirus in new hand-washing appeal.
In a drawing posted Thursday on Instagram by the White House, Trump appears as a 2020 version of Uncle Sam complete with the white and blue top hat with stars, a blue suit jacket and a long red tie, instead of a red bow tie.
The message on the drawing reads simply, “I Want You To Wash Your Hands: Slow The Spread.” (RELATED: REPORT: Coachella Potentially Rescheduled To October Due To Coronavirus Fears)
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For those that might be unaware, “The iconic image and nickname for the United States government stems from Sam Wilson, a meatpacker from New York, that supplied barrels of meat to soldiers during the war of 1812,” a description about the image reads from National Calendar Day.(RELATED: Here’s A List Of How Every Country In The World Is Responding To Coronavirus)
“To identify the meat for shipment, Wilson prominently stamped ‘U.S.’ on the barrels,” the description added. “It wasn’t long before the soldiers dubbed the grub a delivery from Uncle Sam. As such nicknames tend to do, its popularity spread.”
Uncle Sam’s look changed a lot over the years. But is best known for the look on the posters used in the campaign during World War 1 that read, “I Want You For The U.S. Army.”
Trump’s hand-washing appeal comes a week after the president declared that the country was in a national emergency in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Since that time, he and other leaders across the country have urged people to self-quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19.
