Former President Donald Trump refused to wear a Covid-19 face mask because his bronzer was noticeable on the straps, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Mark Meadows, claims in her new book.
Ms Hutchinson recounted one incident in May 2020 — just two months after the WHO declared a Covid-19 pandemic — in which the former president was visiting a Honeywell factory that produced masks, according to The Guardian.
During that visit, Mr Trump didn’t wear a mask in the facility — as the company played a cover of Paul McCartney’s song Live and Let Die.
The then-president said that he “had a mask on for a period of time” but that he didn’t wear one after talking to the “head of Honeywell,” who told him he didn’t need one.
But Ms Hutchinson told a different version of the story; Mr Trump “decided on a white mask,” and then asked staffers what they thought of it.
“I slowly shook my head,” she recalled. “The president pulled the mask off and asked why I thought he should not wear it.” She pointed to her N95 mask’s straps, prompting him to look at his own, which is when Mr Trump “saw they were covered in bronzer.”
“Why did no one else tell me that,” he said. “I’m not wearing this thing.”
“The press would criticise him for not wearing a mask,” the former aide wrote, “not knowing that the depth of his vanity had caused him to reject masks – and then millions of his fans followed suit.”
Mr Trump repeatedly refused to wear a mask throughout the pandemic and downplayed the dangerous effects of the virus.
The former president also touted many conspiracy theories about the virus, like suggesting that disinfectants could treat coronavirus.
“Once you do recover, you’re immune,” Mr Trump said after recovering from his bout with the virus, boasting about his “protective glow” of immunity.
