After the city of Jacksonville, Florida announced that the masks will be mandatory for public and closed places beginning Monday, White House press secretary Kaleigh McEnany did not directly say whether President Donald Trump planned to wear one in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
The event, scheduled for August, is expected to draw more than 40,000 people from across the country to Jacksonville, and while the rules may apply to them, Trump is likely to be excused.
“I spoke to the president before coming here,” said McEnany. “It is his choice to wear a mask. It is anyone’s personal choice as to whether to wear a mask or not. He encourages people to make the choice that is best for their safety, but he told me he has no problem with masks , and do what your local jurisdiction requires. “
Its justification comes from a growing number of health officials who urge the public to wear masks as cases increase alarmingly across the southern United States.
In the first public working group briefing in two months last Friday, Vice President Mike Pence spent much of the time applauding the efforts of the Trump administration and emphasizing how much worse the pandemic could have been without his response.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, emphasized the importance of wearing a mask.
When asked by ABC News correspondent Kyra Phillips why the Trump campaign continues to have protests without a mask or a requirement for social distancing, despite public health advice, Pence cited the Constitution.
“Freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are enshrined in the Constitution,” said Pence. “President Trump and I believe that we take the appropriate steps as we build screening at recent events and give people the best advice we have. We still want to give people the freedom to participate in the political process.”
Pressed on how the masks, or how the decision not to wear one, has become a political statement, Pence would only say that he encouraged Americans to follow state and local leaders.
For many people, that was not enough.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Speaker of the Republican Conference of the House of Representatives and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney tweeted a photo of her masked father after the working group briefing accompanied by the “RealMenWearMasks” hashtag.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also shared the sentiment with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday and expressed support for a federal mask mandate.
“Definitely, he’s been watching that for a long time,” he said. “I understand that the Centers for Disease Control has recommended the use of masks, but they do not require it, because they do not want to offend the president.”
“Real men wear masks,” he added. “It is not about protecting yourself, it is about protecting others.”
By Sunday afternoon, Pence has changed her tone, somewhat.
On a trip to the state of Texas, Pence and his team arrived wearing masks, as did Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, and his team, to greet Pence on the track.
In a subsequent press conference, Pence was more forthright in echoing the advice of healthcare professionals sitting next to him: “Wearing a mask is just a good idea.”
Birx emphasized the importance of “100% compliance” with mask orders in multiple counties, as hospitalization rates are increasing particularly among younger adults with underlying health conditions.
Remarkably, hours before Pence gave advice alongside Birx, he spoke at a mega church in Dallas with more than 2,000 congregants and a choir of 100 people, standing and none wearing masks, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Churches were warned they may be “super spreader” sites, for example due to singing.
Despite mounting warnings, Trump has signaled for months that he doesn’t see the masks as presidential and has resisted any pressure to be photographed in public.
“I just don’t want to use one. It’s a recommendation. I feel good,” Trump said at a coronavirus task force briefing on April 3. “I just don’t want to be doing, I don’t know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolving Desk, the great Resolving Desk, I think wearing a face mask when greeting presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens. I don’t know, somehow, I don’t see it for myself. ”
Although Trump travels to more states where the coronavirus was spreading, and more Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell say people “should” use them and Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, He said, “Everybody should be fucking it.” mask, “Trump has resisted the pressure.
Although the White House says the president respects state and local mask mandates, Trump himself appears to be the exception to those rules.
At a Fox News “town hall” in Wisconsin last week, for example, all participants were required to wear masks to enter the event, except for Trump and Sean Hannity, socially distant.
But Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Monday that without a mask, someone will not be allowed to enter a business or place. This includes the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in downtown Jacksonville, where the RNC is scheduled for August.
“We will continue to work on these plans as we get closer. [to the RNC],” he said.
It seems unlikely in August that the Republican National Committee will force its nominee to wear a mask in the mega-covered arena.
It seems more likely to be a “personal choice” that the President will consider the same as before.
ABC News’ Elizabeth Thomas and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
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