Getty Guests at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, stick around for his news conference on August 7, 2020.
Donald Trump held a last-minute news conference from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Friday, during which guests in attendance were invited to stay for his speech. During the Q&A portion of the presser, Trump was asked by a reporter about the guests in the room, none of whom were social distancing, and many of whom were not wearing masks.
“We lost 6,000 Americans this week, and just in this room, you have dozens of people who are not following the guidelines of New Jersey which … “the reporter said, before being cut off by a round of boos by the crowd.
The president defended his guests at the Trump National Golf Club who chose not to wear masks. “You’re wrong about that,” Trump said. “It’s a political activity. And it’s also a peaceful protest,” which was met with a round of applause and cheers.
🚨 BREAKING: @realDonaldTrump now calls not wearing a mask “political activity” and a “peaceful protest.”
“To me, it looks like they all pretty much have masks on,” Trump continued. But you know, you have an exclusion in the law for peaceful protest or political activity. I’d call it a peaceful protest because they heard you were coming up. And they know the news is fake. They understand it better than anybody.”
Before ending his news conference Trump said, “If the press in this country were honest, if it wasn’t corrupt, if it wasn’t fake, our country would be so much further ahead. But we’re doing great.”
After this last statement, Trump was met with a second round of applause and cheers from the crowd at Bedminster.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Signed an Executive Order Requiring Individuals to Wear Masks
On July 8, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 163, “which requires individuals to wear face coverings in outdoor public spaces when it is not practicable to socially distance and keep a six-foot distance from others.”
“The Order, which takes effect immediately, also reiterates New Jersey’s policy of requiring face coverings in indoor spaces that are accessible to members of the public, such as retail, recreational, and entertainment businesses, areas of government buildings open to the public, and mass transit buses, trains, and stations.”
Some Social Media Users Called the Police & Tagged the Governor After Seeing Photos of the Bedminster Crowd Not Social Distancing
@GovMurphy: SO are you going to remind the @realDonaldTrump you care about our residents, have LAWS that include this golf clubhouse or do we in the next elections FOR you and him? With children unmasked and not distanced too. GREAT PARENTING! We’ve been masking since MAY!
After photos of the crowd at Trump’s speech on Friday started appearing on Twitter, social media users tagged Murphy so he could see that people were not following the state’s social distancing guidelines.
One person tweeted, “Just called Bedminster Police at 908 234-0585 and reported that the #Trump owned Bedminster Golf Course is holding an event and not requiring masks, and asked them to enforce THE LAW.”
While some of the guests were wearing masks, they are standing very close to one another, much closer than the advised 6-foot distance stated in Murphy’s executive order.
During Trump’s rally in Tulsa, he also did not require attendees to wear masks.
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