6 in 10 Republicans say Trump and Pence should wear face masks in public, poll shows

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published 13 May 2020

President Trump has declined to wear a mask from the moment he announced recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that all Americans wear masks when interacting with people outside of the home. He has continued to eschew masks even as the White House ordered everyone else (except Vice President Mike Pence) to wear them to work starting Monday. Pence has mostly refused to wear face coverings at public events. Americans overwhelmingly think both men should wear masks in public, according to Politico/Morning Consult poll to be released Wednesday morning.

More than 70 percent of respondents said Trump and Pence should wear face masks when they travel to public places, the poll found. That includes 82 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of independents, and 58 percent of Republicans, Politico teased Tuesday night. Only 12 percent said Trump and Pence should not wear masks.

Aides say Trump thinks wearing a mask would make him look weak or ridiculous, open him to political attack ads, and undercut his message that it's safe to reopen the economy. Pence famously did not wear a mask to the Mayo Clinic, then did wear a mask to an Indiana ventilator factory, said he should have worn a mask to the Mayo Clinic, and declined to wear a mask again at a roundtable with food industry executives in Iowa last Friday.

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Right before Pence boarded his plane to Iowa, he learned that his press secretary, Katie Miller, had tested positive for COVID-19. He still did not wear a mask on Air Force Two, nor did his guests, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) or Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), The Intercept reported. The food executive were wearing masks while waiting for Pence — until an advance staffer from Washington told them they didn't have to wear them, the Des Moines Register reports.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.