Trump Made People Remove Their Masks In Meetings With Him

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:15 pm

Read: Samuel Alito Is The Insurrectionist Threat To Democracy On The Supreme Court

Donald Trump would yell at White House staff and others to take off their masks if they were in his presence or meeting with him.

The New York Times reported:
President Trump at times told staff wearing masks in meetings to “get that thing off,” an administration official said. Everyone knew that Mr. Trump viewed masks as a sign of weakness, officials said and that his message was clear. “You were looked down upon when you would walk by with a mask,” said Olivia Troye, a top aide on the coronavirus task force who resigned in August and has endorsed former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

In public, some of the president’s favorite targets were mask-wearing White House correspondents. “Would you take it off, I can hardly hear you,” Mr. Trump told Jeff Mason of Reuters in May, then mocked Mr. Mason for wanting “to be politically correct” when he refused.

Trump created a culture in the White House where mask-wearing was ridiculed, as Trump made it clear that the way to keep him happy was to not wear a mask.

Instead, Trump relied on the unreliable instant test that is well known for false negatives. The fact that the White House is using an unreliable testing system means that any claims of that administration officials have been testing negative should be treated with skepticism.

The outbreak that is sweeping through, and in fact his own infection, was caused by Trump’s refusal to listen to the health experts and take basic safety precautions.

Trump needlessly put lives at risk, including his own, which is why there is an overwhelming lack of sympathy in the country for his present state.

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Jason Easley

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