Melania Trump, 50, is back to ditching her face mask. The First Lady attended a presidential recognition ceremony at the White House on Friday, May 15, along with her husband President Donald Trump, 73, who also opted not to wear a protective face covering or gloves. The pair were seen greeting a group of in-uniform Girl Scouts at the Rose Garden ceremony, with the President handing out paper certificates to several honorees.
Donald also snapped photos with each Girl Scout just a mere inches away, clearly not practicing the recommended six feet of social distance. Notably, the Girl Scouts all wore protective cloth face masks for the event as they posed next to President Trump. In other photos, adult attendees appear to be following the CDC’s guidelines around masks, with the NYPD’s Spencer Garrett sporting a white latex pair of gloves, as well as U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams wearing a mask. At a separate event on the same day, Donald’s daughter Ivanka Trump, 38, also set an example with her black cloth mask while touring the Coastal Sunbelt Produce in Laurel, Maryland.
The photos of the President and First Lady come just five weeks after Melania stressed the importance of wearing face masks to her 14.2 million Twitter followers. “As the CDC studies the spread of #COVID-19, they recommend people wear face cloth coverings in public settings when social distancing can be hard to do,” she tweeted on April 9, including a video of herself reading the same message. “Remember, this does NOT replace the importance of social distancing. It is recommended to keep us all safe,” she added, holding a white face mask.
President Trump also reminded Americans that wearing a mask is a “recommendation,” despite continuing to not follow guidelines himself. “I just don’t want to wear [a mask] myself. It’s a recommendation. I am feeling good,” he said during a Coronavirus press briefing on April 3. “I don’t know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens — I don’t know, somehow, I don’t see it for myself,” he went on. Just weeks later, his personal valet tested positive for COVID-19 on May 7.
Despite her lack of face mask, Melania stunned for the May 15 event in a white dress by one of Michelle Obama‘s go-to designers Jason Wu. She paired the knee-length, floral printed number with a bright orange pump for the event, showing off her picture-perfect blowout and highlights. “It was inspiring to hear about the acts of kindness & compassion that @girlscouts Troop 744 has been showing to front line workers during this unprecedented time. This is one of just many examples of the spirit we celebrate through #BeBest!” she tweeted about the event on May 15. Both the President and First Lady were all-smiles for the outdoor occasion, walking hand-in-hand as they departed the serene Rose Garden.