Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Trump declined to wear a mask at a mask making factory — despite signs displayed that they were required — in a visit that featured music usually played at his campaign rallies

Sarah Al-Arshani BUSINESS INSIDER 5/5/2020
President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump wore only protective eyewear while visiting a Honeywell PPE facility in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday. 

Neither Trump nor the officials that were with him wore masks despite signs that instructed mask-wearing.

Trump has previously said that he would not wear a mask, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to wear a mask or cloth face-covering.

The facility also played music similar to what would be heard at a Trump rally. 


President Donald Trump toured a Honeywell facility in Phoenix, Arizona, which makes N95 respirators for health-care workers. Instead of wearing a mask, Trump only wore goggles.

Signs around the facility stated that masks are required, according to reporters present for the tour. Workers at the factory were sporting masks, according to photos from the event.
—Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 5, 2020

Trump said last month during a coronavirus press briefing that he would not wear a face mask, despite CDC recommendations for the public to wear some sort of cloth mask or face-covering.

According to Bloomberg, Trump has been hesitant to wear a face mask since the start of the coronavirus outbreak and repeatedly "suggested they were impractical, pointless and beneath the dignity of the leader of the free world."



Bloomberg added that Trump's refusal to wear face a face mask has led to confusion.

"At the very least, it confuses people," K. "Vish" Viswanath, a professor of health communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told Bloomberg. "At the very worst, it might even cause them to question if these rules apply to them or if the message is really that critical."
—Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 5, 2020

Vice President Mike Pence was criticized last week for also not wearing a mask while visiting a Mayo Clinic, he later apologized and said he should have worn a mask.


The visit to the factory was Trump's first major trip out of the White House in around two months, as the coronavirus has halted both non-essential travel and large gatherings like campaign rallies.

During his tour music was played similar to what would be heard at a Trump rally. Bloomberg reporter Justin Sink tweeted that "live and let die" was being played during the tour. The Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was also played at the end of Trump's speech — a song that is a fixture at the end of his rallies.
President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

While speaking at the facility, Trump said: "Together we are fighting for everybody but we are fighting this terrible coronavirus. It is a tough opponent but we are winning."

During his speech, Trump thanked the owners of a local Mexican restaurant who were targeted after appearing in the VIP area at Donald Trump's Phoenix rally earlier this year.

"I can't believe I have to socially distance myself from these two people. They're probably the ones who want it from me," Trump said as he asked the couple to go on stage to make a speech.
—Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 5, 2020

Members of several tribes including Vice President of Navajo Nation Myron Lizer and Second Lady Lizer, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis also attended the tour. According to a pool report, "Trump touted funding in the CARES act allocated for tribal governments."

He also said that the "full resources" of the federal government would be used to help protect Native Americans from the virus.

Lizer explained that coronavirus cases among the Navajo Nation are still increasing and there have been 2,400 confirmed cases and 73 deaths.

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