President Donald Trump is due to visit a Ford ventilator assembly plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan on Thursday that has a policy requiring everyone to wear personal protective equipment, sparking speculation about whether he will wear a mask for the first time in public, The Hill reported Tuesday.
"Our policy is that everyone wears PPE to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Ford spokeswoman Rachel McCleery said. "We shared all of Ford's safety protocols, including our manufacturing playbook, employee pamphlet, and self-assessment survey with the White House ahead of time and in preparation for this trip."
Crain's Detroit Business had stated Ford will require Trump to wear a mask, but McCleery said that report was inaccurate.
Asked on Tuesday if he would wear a mask, Trump said he had not given it much thought, but said, "I will certainly look at it," adding it would depend on the situation.
"Am I standing right next to everybody, or am I spread out," Trump added. "Where it's appropriate I would do it, certainly."
The Ford factory normally produces vehicle parts for transmissions, fuel pumps, air induction systems, ignitions and batteries, according to Crain's.
Trump did not wear a mask during a recent visit to a Arizona mask factory, The Hill reported. He also did not wear one on a trip to Pennsylvania, even though most of the administration officials who were there with him did.
Last week, safety protocols were bolstered at the White House after two staffers tested positive for the coronavirus, with West Wing workers now required to wear face coverings when they are not at their desks or when it is not possible to practice social distancing.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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