MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Presidential Debate 2020: Melania, Ivanka and rest of Trump family mask-up after ouster alert, Internet dubs it 'joke'

The Commission on Presidential Debates warned that anyone who attended the event and removed their face mask would be asked to leave and escorted out

President Donald Trump's family was finally seen sporting face masks as they attended the final presidential debate after being warned that they would be kicked out if they took them off. Trump's wife, Melania, and his children Ivanka, Tiffany and Eric Trump were seen at the debate arena at the Belmont University in Nashville, just minutes before the event started, with their nose and mouth covered with face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Commission on Presidential Debates warned that anyone who attended the event and removed their face mask would be asked to leave and escorted out. They also said that wearing face masks were mandatory for all those who are attending the debate. The Trumps had received a lot of backlash when they had not worn face masks during the first presidential debate which had taken place on September 29. Just days later, the White House was struck with a massive coronavirus outbreak and wave. Most of the family members did enter the first debate with masks on but were seen without them as soon as they took their seats. For this round of the presidential debate, all the attendees were required to wear their face masks throughout the session as per rules set by the debate commission.

However, those who were an exception to this mandatory rule were Trump himself, his rival and Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, and debate moderator Kristen Welker. The trio were permitted to remove their face masks while on stage. Many social media users noticed the latest mask-wearing act of the Trumps and took to commenting on the same. One user said, "Omg! This is certainly a joke! Lol supporters who don’t want you to wear masks!" Another commented, "The amount of filth to be removed from the WH come January inauguration is sickening." "Rules never mattered. It was their friends / part of their group getting infected," shared another.

Yet another user chimed in saying, "It took him and half the Republicans almost dying." Another user, who echoed the same sentiments, added, "They're wearing masks because all of them are criminals..."

In the past, Trump mocked his opponent's face mask-wearing habits and suggested that he is overly-cautious. Biden, on the other hand, rejected the POTUS' attitude during the Thursday, October 22, debate and said that the federal government should have been instituted a nationwide mask mandate several months ago. Trump's lackadaisical attitude towards face masks had backfired post the first presidential debate when several people in the White House had tested positive for Covid-19. This also included Trump himself and First Lady Melania.

We had earlier reported that Trump and Melania tested positive for Covid-19 on October 2. The news was confirmed after the POTUS took to Twitter. He wrote, “Tonight, FLOTUS, and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”

Trump’s senior-most and closest White House aide, Hope Hicks, had tested positive for Covid-19 as well. Reports had suggested that Hicks, who serves as counselor to Trump, had been in close proximity to the POTUS and had traveled with him to a rally in Minnesota on September 30 after which she tested positive on Thursday, October 1.