Pence’s mask-free visit to the Mayo Clinic speaks volumes about Trump’s coronavirus stance

Since mid-March, President Trump has adjusted his tone about the threat of the coronavirus — but only so much. Trump has continued to optimistically suggest that the virus might disappear sooner than experts say it could, and has played down the potential death toll and the severity of the situation, all in the service of praising the federal (and his own) response.

On Tuesday, his approach seemed to bleed over in a way that prompted one of the country’s top hospitals to rebuke the White House.

Vice President Pence visited the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota on Tuesday. But conspicuously absent from his visit was a mask. While pictures and video show plenty of people around Pence all using masks, he wasn’t wearing one. Continue reading.