Vice President Mike Pence wore no PPE and did not even bother with a mask while visiting the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday.
Pence was at the Mayo Clinic checking on their plasma research program for the treatment of coronavirus, and he was the only person on the tour not wearing a mask:
VP Pence currently touring the Mayo Clinic–and seems to be the only one not wearing a mask pic.twitter.com/uJz549k6BR
— Sara Cook (@saraecook) April 28, 2020
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Video:
🤔 pic.twitter.com/rlfA1hNaP1
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 28, 2020
Trump wants to pretend like the coronavirus is gone, so Pence is no longer allowed to wear PPE, but this is absurdly stupid. Never in modern history has an administration set a worse example for people than Trump and Pence.
The coronavirus will not be defeated if leaders like the Vice President refuse to model good public health behaviors. One of the main reasons that the virus has been so hard to defeat in the United States is that many Americans aren’t following the guidelines.
The White House wants to get back to business as usual, but the reality is that the country is not ready for business as usual. There is no reason for Pence not to be wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic.
The message being sent to the American people is that Trump and Pence aren’t taking this crisis seriously.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Follow Jason Easley on Facebook
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association