Trump Says He Had a Mask on During Parts of Factory Tour: ‘I Can’t Help It If You Didn’t See Me’

Trump toured a Honeywell factory Tuesday and was notably not wearing a protective face covering

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Donald Trump reacted Wednesday to criticism he received for not wearing a mask during a Tuesday tour of a factory that produces them, saying he was wearing a mask “backstage.”

“I actually did have one, no. I put a mask on, yeah. I had a mask on for a period of time,” he said when asked by a reporter about not wearing one. When the reporter observed he didn’t see the president in the mask, Trump replied, “I can’t help it if you didn’t see me.”

He went on, “I had a mask on but I didn’t need it and I asked, specifically, the head of Honeywell, ‘Should I wear a mask?’ And he said, ‘Well, you don’t need one in this territory.’”

Trump concluded he did wear a Honeywell mask, a 3-M mask and “about four other masks,” which he wore “backstage,” then lambasted the reporter for “criticizing” him.

“There’s nothing I can do to satisfy the media, the Democrats or the fake news and I understand that,” he lamented.

His lack of facial covering, which is required at the factory, was noted quickly Tuesday, as was the song playing during his tour: “Live and Let Die.” Predictably, online reaction was swift and stunned, and that bled over into Wednesday morning’s coverage of the event, too.

“Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough called attention to it, with Scarborough demanding, “Where’s his mask?”

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