White House chief of staff Mark Meadows got testy about mask-wearing during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday.
Following reports of Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, Tapper pushed Meadows on what the Trump administration is doing to encourage people to take public health precautions.
At the center of the debate is whether to wear a mask, a guidance pushed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but a precaution not enforced among attendees at President Trump’s rallies.
“We don’t mandate masks because here’s the other thing. We offer them out [at rallies]. We live in a free society, Jake,” Meadows said, adding that he believes Democratic nominee Joe Biden would push for stricter measures to respond to the pandemic that would restrict people’s ability to choose their own guidelines.
Spikes in coronavirus cases have been linked to large gatherings, including some linked to the president’s rallies. Trump, who tested positive for the virus earlier this month, has also been criticized for oftentimes not publicly wearing a mask.
But Meadows took offense when Tapper claimed people at Trump’s rallies refused to wear masks. The chief of staff flipped it back on the anchor, saying he didn’t have one on himself during the interview.
“There is literally nobody in this room. There is literally not one person in this studio,” Tapper responded.
Meadows pushed back, adding that it’s hard to believe he would wear a mask at all times, anywhere he goes.
“You’re saying you always wear a mask wherever you go? Come on, Jake. The American people know that’s not true. I know it’s not true,” Meadows said.
Tapper defended himself, saying he wears a mask at all times except when he is not around others.
“I wear a mask except when I’m in here, my office, and home,” he said. “That is true. One hundred percent. I wear a mask when I walk in the hallway at CNN, OK?”
