The Commission on Presidential Debates is done fooling around. Wear a face mask, or get kicked out of the debates. Period.

After the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, members of Trump’s family and staff failed to comply with the requirements to wear face masks, despite being asked to wear them and even being offered masks by a doctor with the Cleveland Clinic who was present in the audience.

The candidates themselves were exempt from wearing masks while on stage, but everyone else was supposed to wear one, and to have received a recent negative coronavirus test, or have arrived early enough to receive a test onsite.

Members of the Trump family were photographed wearing masks before the debate began, including First Lady Melania Trump, and Trump’s adult children Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Eric Trump, and Tiffany Trump, but they all later removed them at some point during the evening. Several members of Trump’s White House and campaign staff were also seen during the pre-debate walk-throughs or later during the debate without masks.

Dr. Jill Biden was still wearing her face mask when she joined her husband on stage (Melania Trump was not wearing hers) and other members of the Biden campaign staff were seen properly wearing their masks.

Members of the CPD were reportedly frustrated and annoyed at the Trump team ignoring the mask requirements, and did not want to see a repeat performance — especially after Trump, Melania Trump, and a growing list of White House and Trump campaign staff have all tested positive for Covid-19 in recent days, and the president was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported on the new rule Saturday as he introduced a segment with Michael Smerconish, noting the election was now just one month away, with a “renewed focus on safety at campaign events and debates.”

“Just today the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that audience members will all, all, be required to wear masks at the debates,” said Blitzer. “Those who don’t comply will be escorted out.”

Smerconish agreed with Blitzer that it was “surprising” that the CPD hadn’t enforced the mask rules at the first debate, “given the climate in the country, the necessity of protecting everybody, especially in that room, which contains the next President of the United States.

“But I’m glad they’re doing it in time for the next debate, the vice presidential debate, which is this Wednesday,” he added.

In addition to the mask requirements, the upcoming debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday will have the candidates spaced at least 12 feet apart, double the 6-foot spacing that has become a standard during the pandemic. The extra space was initiated by a request from the Biden campaign.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/36z9Suv