California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) attempted to defend himself after photos surfaced showing him maskless at an NFL game in Los Angeles.
Newsom told reporters at a news conference basketball star Magic Johnson was “generous enough to ask me for a photograph. And in my left hand’s the mask and I took a photo.”
He added, “The rest of the time I wore it as we all should.”
Another reporter continued to press him on the issue, asking if Newsom should have reconsidered taking the mask off “for the photo, for the image, the message that it might send.”
Newsom replied, “I was trying to be gracious, and I made a mist — you know, I mean, I was trying to be gracious.”
He continued, “I took the mask off for a brief second. But I encourage people to continue to wear them.”
Check out his comments below:
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CNN noted the Los Angeles County mask mandate requires individuals to wear masks indoors and at large sporting events regardless of vaccination status.
Others criticized Newsom for failing to wear a mask around Johnson who has HIV.
Newsom previously received criticism after photos of the governor surfaced showing him at a dinner party in November 2020, appearing to violate COVID-19 protocols.
The woman who took the photos told Fox 11, “I just happened to look over and realize hey is that Gavin Newsom, who is that? And I did ask one of the waitresses and she confirmed it was, so I was able to take a couple of photos, I was able to document this especially since nobody was wearing a mask. It was a very large group of people shoulder to shoulder, something that he’s always telling us not to do so yeah it was a bit annoying for sure.”
During a press conference, Newsom apologized for the incident.
“It was in Napa, which was in the Orange status, relatively loose compared to some other counties,” Newsom said.
He added, “It was to be an outdoor restaurant.”
Newsom explained he wanted to apologize “because I need to preach and practice, not just preach.”