White House Squeezes Press Together As ‘It Looks Better’ Than Social Distancing
Images via The White House (public domain)
Wes Anderson might have beautifully nailed the social distancing look in his films for years, but it’s not an aesthetic the White House can get behind.
Members of the press have reported that President Donald Trump’s aides have been pushing them together in recent press briefings to their reluctance because it “looks better.”
The White House previously abided by the CDC’s social distancing guidelines asking for six feet of distance, but began squeezing reporters together after the briefings were moved to the Rose Garden, which has more legroom, according to the Associated Press.
Invited reporters were still seated apart from each other at the Rose Garden during a 1 June briefing about the nation’s issues with China and its termination of ties with the World Health Organization, but come 5 June for a conference about the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020, Trump’s team brought the chairs together so guests would be seated near each other.
1 June 2020
Image via The White House (public domain)
Image via The White House (public domain)
5 June 2020
Image via The White House (public domain)
Image via The White House (public domain)
Trump was purported to declare, “I notice you’re starting to get much closer together. Looks much better, I must say.”
ABC News’ Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl related that the chairs were spread apart according to social distancing guidelines at first, “but were moved closer together by White House staff shortly before the event started.”
When reporters asked why the seating arrangement had changed, the White House press office responded that “it looks better.”
Karl criticized that the White House “needlessly put reporters’ health at risk” so they could serve as “a prop.”
Similarly, PBS White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor recounted to MSNBC, “Our seats were really close together… [Trump] was using us as props… because they are thinking about the optics.
"I was in the Rose Garden today and our seats were really close together. We were wondering why they were so close... [Trump] was using us as props... Literally violating social distancing policies, because they are thinking about the optics" - @Yamiche w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/yfpxSkksqO
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) June 5, 2020
White House spokesperson Judd Deere confirmed the sentiments of Trump’s team to the Associated Press, responding, “It looks better.”
The representative justified that invited reporters were screened for coronavirus by getting their temperatures checked and verifying that they didn’t experience any symptoms of COVID-19 before entering the Rose Garden.
[via Megaphone, images via The White House (public domain)]
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