White House staff reportedly had access to thousands of masks before reversing its policy for the general public
Before the Trump administration reversed its official stance on wearing facemasks in public during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, a top National Security Council deputy, Matt Pottinger, secured a deal in mid-March with Taiwan to receive shipments of masks, fearing that both the White House and the country at large didn't have an adequate supply. Taiwan agreed and soon sent 500,000 masks to Washington. Most of those went toward the national stockpile, but a portion was set aside for White House staff, The Washington Post reports.
The NSC kept 1,800 for its own employees, while another 1,800 went to other personnel in the White House. That reportedly made some U.S. officials uncomfortable since civilians were still being told not to wear masks (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's reversal came on April 3) and health care workers across the country had to resort to measures like crafting homemade gear. But other White House officials reportedly noted that the vast majority of Taiwan-shipped equipment were prioritized for medical staff and first responders.
Pottinger has emerged as one of the figures within the White House who warned early on that China's initial coronavirus outbreak could become a major issue for the U.S. He'd been communicating regularly with his contacts in places throughout Asia, like Taiwan and Hong Kong, about how they successfully mitigated the spread, determining masks played a role. Read more at The Washington Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
Crossword: October 30, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
