President Donald Trump visited an Arizona face mask factory, using the trip to demonstrate his determination to see an easing of stay-at-home orders even as COVID-19 (coronavirus) remains a dire threat. Trump did not wear a mask despite guidelines saying they should be worn inside the factory at all times.
What We Know:
- “The people of our country should think of themselves as warriors. We have to open,” Trump declared Tuesday as he left Washington on a trip that was more about the journey than the destination.
- Trump had said he would don a face mask if the factory was “a mask environment,” but in the end he wore only safety goggles during a tour of the Honeywell facility. Nearly all factory workers and members of the press as well as some White House staff and Secret Service agents wore masks. Senior White House staff and Honeywell executives did not.
- In Arizona, Trump acknowledged the human cost of returning to normalcy. “I’m not saying anything is perfect, and yes, will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon,” he said.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks when they can’t socially distance, such as in supermarkets, especially in places with high transmission rates. In the area where Trump spoke, a large video monitor listed safety guidelines, one of which said, “Please wear your mask at all times.”
Moreover, Vice President Mike Pence created a similar stir when photos showed him maskless in a visit to the Mayo Clinic surrounded by hospital officials and doctors all wearing masks. He said that he hadn’t known it was a requirement and that he is tested for the virus frequently.
