Trump greeted a rank of seven veterans one by one from a distance of a few feet, apparently mindful of coronavirus concerns but not wearing a mask, a White House television pool video of the event shows. The veterans were not wearing masks.
Esper, also without a mask, gathered with a few of the men for a photo a few minutes earlier and handed out “challenge coins” from his pocket. At one point, a veteran grasped his elbow…
Esper and Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, also in attendance, should have worn masks and kept distant at all times, said Vietnam Veterans of America, a veterans advocacy group.
“We need the president and his closest aides to immediately start modeling CDC guidelines and behavior that keeps veterans and elderly Americans safe, because what they’re doing right now is going to get people killed,” said Kristofer Goldsmith, the group’s associate director of policy and government affairs.
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