Donald Trump Refused to Wear a Face Mask During the Pandemic Because They'd Get 'Covered in Bronzer,' Former Aide Claims
Donald Trump allegedly had quite a ridiculous reason as to why he barely wore a face mask during the height of the pandemic.
Cassidy Hutchinson, the former aide to White House Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows, touched on the topic in her upcoming book, Enough, which hits shelves Tuesday, September 26.
Hutchinson recalled one May 2020 incident in particular when the ex-POTUS toured a Honeywell facility in Phoenix, Ariz., where they were producing masks.
The businessman, 77, allegedly debated over whether or not to wear one, asking his staff for their opinion.
"I slowly shook my head. The president pulled the mask off and asked why I thought he should not wear it," Hutchinson wrote. "I pointed at the straps of the N95 I was holding. When he looked at the straps of his mask, he saw they were covered in bronzer."
"Why did no one else tell me that," Trump reportedly replied. "I’m not wearing this thing."
Continued the author, "The press would criticize him for not wearing a mask, not knowing that the depth of his vanity had caused him to reject masks ― and then millions of his fans followed suit."
In another excerpt from the book, Hutchinson explained he invited several legislators to the White House the night before Thanksgiving in 2020, however, when they were tested for COVID-19, some of them came back positive.
Hutchinson decided to only allow the cleared individuals to come to the event, to which the former commander-in-chief spat back, "I said everyone! Bring them all! Bring them all now!"
Hutchinson said that doctors who heard the order "urged" her to "push back," but she informed them she "was not in the business of defying the president’s orders."
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Sean Conley, the father-of-five's physician at the time, "reluctantly agreed" but told guests who tested positive that they needed to wear a face mask.
Nonetheless, Trump insisted otherwise.
"When everyone had filed into the Oval Office, [Trump] instructed the masked guests to take off their masks," Hutchinson claimed. "He assured them it was more important for him to see their beautiful faces, said he was not worried about contracting the virus."
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While Trump's vanity may have been one of his biggest concerns back then, he's currently face major legal woes, having been indicted four times this year.
The former reality star was accused of mishandling classified documents and trying to overturn the 2020 election results, though he's claimed he's innocent.
While he tries to put on a brave front, another former Trump chief-of-staff said he's secretly worried.
"He’s scared s-------. This is the way he compensates for that. He gives people the appearance he doesn’t care by doing this," John Kelly explained in an interview. "For the first time in his life, it looks like he’s being held accountable. Up until this point in his life, it’s like, I’m not going to pay you, take me to court. He’s never been held accountable before."
The Guardian obtained the excerpt of Hutchinson's book.