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Not even Donald Trump’s ego was strong enough to get him to wear a mask during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to one former staffer.
During Thursday’s episode of “The View,” co-host and former White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin recounted how she tried unsuccessfully to use flattery to get Trump to put on a protective face covering.
“I remember telling him he looked cool in the mask,” Farah Griffin told the day’s guest, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“I remember, yeah!” replied Fauci, who was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the Trump presidency.
“I thought that might appeal to him, and he might be like, ‘OK, fine, I’ll wear it,’” Farah Griffin said. “Didn’t work.”
“Nice try, Alyssa,” Fauci remarked.
MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images
Trump regularly refused to mask up during the early parts of the pandemic, despite his own health officials endorsing masks as an easy method to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.
“I’m choosing not to do it,” the 45th president was quoted as saying in April 2020.
“It’s a recommendation, they recommend it,” he added. “I just don’t want to wear one myself.”
After bristling at the idea of masks for months, Trump was hospitalized with the coronavirus in October 2020, just days after his first presidential debate with Joe Biden.
While on “The View,” Fauci remembered Trump’s stance on masking as a “missed opportunity” to promote simple public health protocol to his leagues of supporters.
“He has millions and millions of followers who are very loyal to him,” the doctor said. “All he had to do was say, ‘The CDC is recommending masks, we know it’s going to save lives, do it.’”