Without wearing a face mask himself, President Donald Trump toured a mask distribution center in the political swing state of Pennsylvania on Thursday in an effort to highlight his administration's efforts to fight the coronavirus.
Trump, a Republican who is running for reelection in November, has resisted wearing a mask in public despite his administration's guidance to Americans to wear them and new White House rules requiring staff to wear them at work.
The president toured the Owens & Minor Inc distribution center, which the White House said has sent millions of N95 masks, surgical gowns and gloves to hospitals and surgery centers across the United States. Company officials wore masks.
Trump visited a mask production facility in Arizona last week and also did not wear a face covering, though he said he tried some on backstage.
The White House has defended Trump's decision not to wear a face covering, emphasizing that he is tested daily for coronavirus and has tested negative. Officials further argue that face coverings are to prevent infected individuals from spreading the virus, providing more benefit for them than for uninfected people.
© 2025 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.