Second Lady Karen Pence is defending her husband, Vice President Mike Pence, following the criticism he faced after visiting the Mayo Clinic.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Thursday, Karen Pence was asked why her husband did not wear a mask while touring the medical facility.
Since the vice president doesn’t have the coronavirus, there was no reason for a mask, the second lady said.
“As our medical experts have told us, wearing a mask prevents you from spreading disease. And knowing he doesn’t have COVID-19, he didn’t wear one,” she explained.
She also claims her husband had not been made aware of the Mayo Clinic mask policy — which requires all visitors to cover their face while inside — until after he left the facility.
Karen Pence continued, “It was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found out they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask.”
The second lady went on to defend her husband, saying, “So someone who’s worked on this whole task force for over two months is not someone who would have done anything to offend anyone or hurt anyone or scare anyone.”
The clinic tweeted of Pence’s visit, “Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today,” but it was then deleted. According to reports, the clinic also apparently briefed Pence’s team on its policy to wear masks several times before the visit, but it was reportedly unclear whether Pence was required to wear a mask.
However, Pence’s spokesperson told CNN, “We don’t feel it was a mistake.”
See Pence’s remarks below:
On Fox & Friends, Karen Pence defends her husband for not wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic, claiming he didn't know they had a mandatory mask policy until after he left. pic.twitter.com/c6IgVhEqng
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) April 30, 2020
Pence’s comments come days after her husband’s visit to the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday. Many of the photos captured him being the only person unmasked throughout the tour.
He has insisted he did not wear a mask because of similar reasons his wife mentioned and that he wanted to “look them in the eye and say, ‘Thank you,’” although the mask would not have obstructed his vision.
“Since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health-care personnel, and look them in the eye and say, ‘Thank you.’”
See the vice president’s remarks:
VP Pence on his decision to not wear a mask during Tuesday's tour of the Mayo Clinic: pic.twitter.com/9rx6btWzN1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 28, 2020
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines also recommend that everyone wears a face covering while in public.