White House becomes ground zero for culture war over face masks

The White House has emerged as ground zero in the cultural battle over whether to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

President Donald Trump won't wear one in public, at least in front of cameras.

His aides in the West Wing remove them before walking inside.

Vice President Mike Pence violated a hospital's rules by visiting without one last week, only to say later he should have tied one on.

On Thursday, the White House confirmed one of the President's staffers -- a US military member responsible for attending to his personal needs in the Oval Office -- had tested positive for coronavirus.

Like others inside the building, valets haven't been wearing masks at work as they go about their jobs serving the President and his family.

The development angered Trump and led to a renewed round of testing for him and Pence.

But it did not appear likely to change the unwritten code inside the White House against wearing masks, despite recommendations from Trump's own administration on wearing face coverings where social distancing is difficult.

"He's a unique individual," one White House official said. "He can't be seen walking around wearing a mask."

Like other recommendations issued by the White House on social distancing and reopening states, the guidance from the federal government on wearing masks is not compulsory.

And like those recommendations, Trump has shown passing interest in following them himself.

Administration aides have said the regular testing administered to Trump and those who come into close proximity to him negates the need to wear a mask at all times.

They have also cited temperature checks provided to anyone entering the White House complex.


But temperature checks wouldn't screen out asymptomatic individuals.

The rapid test used by the White House's medical officers has "about a 15% false negative rate," the National Institutes of Health director told lawmakers Thursday.

And only those who interact directly with Trump or Pence is tested, excluding others who work at a further distance from the two men.

Privately, Trump has questioned whether he should ever be seen wearing a mask in public, concerned it might contradict his public message that the virus is waning and the country is ready to reopen.

He has shown little interest in wearing one as an example to the country, even though many people are now required to wear masks to enter grocery stores, pharmacies and other businesses.

Instead, he has appeared keenly aware of what signal it might send if he appeared in public wearing a mask.

He said on Wednesday he put one on during a visit to Arizona, but only when he would not be photographed backstage.

When he was before cameras at the Honeywell plant, he was barefaced except for a pair of safety goggles.

A person familiar with the matter said Trump did not appear comfortable when he was wearing the mask in Arizona and took it off when he was told by the CEO of Honeywell it wasn't necessary.

White House aides had been anticipating the decision on whether Trump would wear a mask after Pence's visit last week to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, which was overshadowed by criticism of his decision not to wear one.

While Trump told reporters he would be fully willing to wear one if the setting required it, he did not appear enthusiastic behind the scenes at the prospect.

There are no explicit rules against wearing masks at the White House, and some officials have chosen to cover their faces. But as Trump insists the virus is being defeated and pushes for the economy to reopen, his aversion to masks is clear.