Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged on Sunday that he should’ve worn a protective mask last Thursday when he visited the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
“I didn’t think it was necessary, but I should have worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic,” Pence said during a virtual Fox News town hall at the Lincoln Memorial with President Donald Trump.
The vice president pointed out that he wore a mask as he was touring the General Motors Plant in Kokomo, Indiana the day after his visit to the clinic.
Pence came under fire last week after photos of him bare-faced at the clinic, which has a policy requiring everyone inside the facility to wear masks amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Second Lady Karen Pence said several days later that her husband did not feel it was necessary to wear a mask because he had tested negative for COVID-19.
She also claimed the vice president was unaware of the policy before his visit.
However, the Mayo Clinic said it had, in fact, informed the vice president of its requirement beforehand.
“Mayo shared the masking policy with the VP’s office,” a spokesperson for the clinic said.
Watch Pence below:
Pence: "I didn't think it was necessary, but I should've worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic." pic.twitter.com/2KCezCTvUU
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) May 4, 2020
