President Joe Biden appeared at the White House Thursday without a mask, despite his order to require mask-wearing on federal property.
“The masks have become a partisan issue, unfortunately,” Biden repeated, urging Americans to “mask up” for the next 100 days as his administration continued to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden entered the State Dining room with a mask but removed it as he spoke for several minutes. He even coughed into his hand during the speech. After the speech, Biden moved to a small table where he signed several executive orders to combat the coronavirus, but he did not wear his mask as he spoke to the press.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Dr. Anthony Fauci, who attended the event, did wear masks.
The White House did not respond to a Breitbart News request for comment.
Biden also received criticism for appearing Wednesday evening at the Lincoln Memorial without a mask, despite issuing a mask mandate on federal property hours earlier.
During his speech, Biden again called wearing a mask a “patriotic act” and the “single best thing we can do” to help stop the spread of the virus.
He also reminded Americans that he had signed a mask mandate.
“Yesterday, I signed an executive action that requires masks and social distancing on federal property,” he said.