Masks were seldom seen in the west wing. Instead, he sidestepped his own government’s guidelines and helped create a false sense of invulnerability in the White House, an approach that has now failed him as it did in a nation where more than 200,000 people died.
Marine One, the presidential helicopter, took off on Friday to carry Trump to a military hospital from the very White House lawn that less than a week earlier had been the site of his celebratory nomination for a new Supreme Court justice, since the November elections were held. official. .
Several people at the event, including a United States senator, tested positive for the coronavirus. Trump is now installed at Walter Reed Medical Center after running a fever and feeling fatigued following his morning revelation that he had tested positive for the virus.
Clashing with the experts
From the early days of the pandemic, Trump, by his own admission, downplayed the severity of the virus. He repeatedly suggested it would “go away,” and for a time he was pushing for the US economy to reopen completely at Easter, just a month after the pandemic completely engulfed the nation.
The White House staff members did not dare to break with the president, who wanted to embody a nation on the way back, not one obsessed with health guidelines that would remind a nervous public about the virus rather than a resurgence. . . . economic.
Trump has avoided its use, telling his aides that he didn’t like his appearance and that he sent a message to the public that he was concerned about his health.
He has worn masks only sporadically and politicized their use, saying he didn’t need them because he was tested and most of the people he saw were six feet away. He mocked Democrat Joe Biden for constantly covering his face, while many of the president’s supporters followed suit and jumped on him, even at crowded events.
And its use, while technically required, was also not enforced in the White House. Most high-level aides rarely wore masks, even in tight spaces in the west wing or on Air Force One. He seized the belief that because those who came in contact with the president were receiving evidence of COVID -19 every day, they were safe in their bubble.
Downplaying the virus
The White House, for its part, has ignored criticism of the irregular use of masks by Trump and his staff, citing the frequent testing regime. Trump calls his large campaign rallies “peaceful protests” with no limits on crowd size. And as for Trump’s weakening of public health officials, officials are quick to point out contrary medical opinions.
Journalist Bob Woodward videotaped Trump earlier this year admitting to downplaying the threat of the virus.
The White House, even now, says covers are a matter of “personal choice” for most employees.
In a belated change, National Security Council staff members were supposed to start wearing them starting Friday. Secret Service agents are mandated to use them when social distancing is not possible.
And it wasn’t just about masks.
After a failed attempt to restart Trump’s signature Tulsa rallies in June, the campaign slowly began hosting smaller gatherings of supporters, usually outdoors at airports.
