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Vice President Kamala Harris was ripped after forgoing a face covering while visiting a Washington DC school — while several students masked up despite the optional guidance.
Harris visited Thomas Elementary School in Northeast DC Monday to announce the Biden administration’s plans to upgrade public schools with energy-efficient facilities and transportation.
After interacting with students and educators, the vice president delivered a speech with children standing behind her – all wearing masks.
Republicans blasted the veep on social media, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) quipping, “Kamala Harris: Rules for thee but not for me.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) echoed that sentiment in a nearly identical Tweet and later told the Daily Mail in a statement that it was “abhorrent to see the Vice President of the United State flaunting around a stage with children fully masked next to her.”
“If the Biden-Harris regime had the ability to keep all Americans—including children—in masks forever, they would,” Biggs continued. “Keeping masks on Americans and their children is not following the science.”
“Kamala Harris walked up to the stage unmasked, meanwhile, all the children behind her are masked,” tweeted RNC rapid response director Tommy Pigott. “This is the future Democrats want.”
“In the Democrats’ anti-science dystopia, the only person who doesn’t need to wear a mask is Kamala Harris,” Pigott said in a second tweet.
“So wrong on so many levels,” wrote former Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller.
The vice president’s office defended the visit, with senior communications advisor Herbie Ziskend sharing an image from the trip that showed Harris with multiple students who were not wearing masks.
“Same school visit today,” he wrote in response to Cruz’s post.
While some of the criticism suggested masks are still required in class, DC teachers, children, visitors and staff are no longer required to wear face coverings in schools.
On March 16, DC Public Schools made face coverings optional, emphasizing that wearing one was an “individual decision.”
However, Democratic elected officials had a habit of making unmasked trips to schools before such restrictions were lifted.
In February, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams appeared maskless in a school next to masked-up students and adults, sparking outrage.
“Stacey Abrams wants state government mask mandates for Georgians and their children. But it looks like they wouldn’t apply when she’s attending a photo op,” GOP Gov. Brian Kemp raged at the time.
That same month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed it was relaxing indoor face covering guidance, particularly in low-risk areas such as New York City.
However, parents have grown increasingly frustrated as masking requirements for children in city schools remain in effect.
One New York City parent, Daniela Jampel, crashed Mayor Eric Adams’ press conference on Monday to confront him about the regulation – and was fired from her job at the city Law Department shortly after.
“Three weeks ago, you told parents to trust you that you would unmask our toddlers,” Jampel told the mayor at an event on LGBTQ+ issues.
“You stood right here, and you said that the masks would come off April 4. That has not happened.”
Sources close to the matter later told the Post that Jampel was informed by e-mail shortly after the presser that she was fired. The decision to fire Jampel was reportedly made before Monday.
Adams vowed to end the mask mandate for young children in preschools and daycares late last month. However, the mayor kept the order in place last week after a Staten Island judge struck it down.
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