Pence Had CEOs Remove Face Masks During Iowa Event

Vice President Mike Pence met with a group of business leaders in West Des Moines, Iowa, for a live-streamed public discussion on Friday. Though the CEOs could be seen wearing face masks for the first part of the talk, they were asked to remove them before Pence walked on to the stage without a mask.

This has renewed criticisms that Pence and the White House have been hypocritically ignoring their own public health recommendations.

The speakers at the event were CEOs within the agricultural industry, including Tyson Food’s Noel White, whose meatpacking plant in Iowa saw over one-third of its workers infected with the coronavirus. After being shuttered, President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring it to be reopened.

The Friday event came just hours after a member of the vice president’s staff, press secretary Katie Miller, tested positive for the coronavirus. On Sunday, it was revealed that Pence had, in response, decided to go into self-isolation over the weekend. However, he plans to return to the White House on Monday. Spokesperson Devin O’Malley said in a public statement that Pence has been undergoing daily tests and continues to show no indication of having the coronavirus.

Two weeks ago Pence made a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he appeared to be the only individual on the tour to not wear a face mask. In response to critics accusing the vice president of being reckless, Pence defended himself by insisting that he has not tested positive for the coronavirus, though he admitted that he probably should have worn face protection.

Last week, President Trump made a visit to a Honeywell factory in Arizona tasked with mass producing face masks. During his tour, Trump and his entourage were seen not wearing masks, sparking controversy.

After Pence’s Mayo Clinic tour, it appears he may have taken a page out of the president’s book in Iowa, opting to have those around him go mask-free rather than wear a mask himself.

Officials have said that White House staff are being tested for the coronavirus at least once a week and are being required to submit to temperature checks on a regular basis.