Then-President Donald Trump taking his mask off before speaking at a rally from the South Portico of the White House in Washington, DC on October 10, 2020 shows.
Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
A new book reveals that former President Donald Trump told his aides not to wear masks in his presence.
The book, by reporter Maggie Haberman, also said Trump told aides to avoid discussing the pandemic on TV.
Haberman’s book also reported that he told then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo not to “make such a big deal out of this.”
Former President Donald Trump had conflicting approaches to the coronavirus pandemic, New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman wrote in her upcoming book.
Haberman, also a CNN political analyst, has done extensive reporting on the former president. In her book, “Confidence Man,” Haberman reported that Trump would tell White House aides to remove face masks in 2020, the height of the pandemic, according to a Washington Post report detailing parts of the book ahead of its release.
“Get that fucking thing off,” Trump once said during a meeting referring to the mask, Haberman wrote.
By contrast, the former President also sought credit for COVID-19 vaccines but argued that the “radical right” was in the way of that, Haberman reported, according to The Post.
The report, citing Haberman’s book, also said that Trump would discourage White House aides from discussing the pandemic publically while downplaying the seriousness of the crisis.
The Post, pointing to Haberman’s book, added that Trump did so because he believed the virus was “a political loser for him.”
Reuters reported that his approval ratings decreased by 22 points in October 2020, sitting at a record-low 37% approval, as much of the public was displeased with how he handled the virus.
“Don’t talk about it on TV,” Trump reportedly told Republican National Committee’s chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, the Post said quoting Haberman’s book.
The report added that the MAGA President, who has claimed that he “did a great job” tackling the issues brought on by the pandemic, also told Andrew Cuomo, the former New York Governor, not to “make such a big deal out of this,” per Haberman’s book.
“You’re gonna make it a problem,” he added.