Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Vice President Mike Pence, in an interview last week with "Axios on HBO," didn't embrace the routine wearing of face masks in the White House — even after two West Wing regulars tested positive for the coronavirus.
Why it matters: President Trump makes a point of not wearing a mask, and Pence, with the exception of an Indiana trip, has mostly followed suit — even as the White House recommends them for other Americans.
- In the West Wing on Thursday, and aboard Air Force Two and at two Pence events in Iowa on Friday, few aides were wearing masks, at a time when they’ve become common in America.
What he's saying: During an interview Friday in West Des Moines, the vice president replied when asked about mask use in the White House: "Well, some people do wear masks."
- "There's a number of people in the White House that have worn masks for some times," he said. "And, you know, many Secret Service personnel will wear masks on campus."
- "I think we'll listen very carefully to the White House physician's office," Pence added.
- Asked if he wasn't committing to more masks, the vice president replied, "I'm committing to listen to whatever the White House physician tells us to do."
The state of play: White House policy on masks changed Monday, after last week's revelation that a valet to Trump, as well as Pence press secretary Katie Miller, had tested positive.
- A White House memo to staff Monday directed "everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask or facial covering."
- Trump later appeared mask-less in the Rose Garden.