Mike Pence Ripped For Debunked Video Showing Him Delivering Empty Boxes Of PPE To Nursing Home In ‘PR Stunt’
Vice President Mike Pence was blasted for appearing to be caught on camera delivering empty boxes of personal protective equipment to a nursing home. The Indiana Republican is facing criticism for what is being called a PR stunt, though it doesn’t appear that Pence actually did what he is being accused of.
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took Pence to task during the monologue for his show Jimmy Kimmel Live. In a clip, the host shows Pence lifting boxes out of a supply truck and loading them onto a moving cart.
“Here he is, with no mask on, wheeling boxes of PPEs into a health care center, and doing his best to lift them,” Kimmel said. “What a hero.”
After pushing one cart full of equipment, he returns to the supply truck to grab another load, when he is warned that the rest of the boxes are empty.
“Those are empty sir,” a voice warns the vice president.
“Well, can I carry the empty ones, just for the camera?” Pence asks as he wheels the cart into position.
He gets the affirmative and the video cuts out.
Matt McDermott, a political pollster, posted a clip of the monologue to Twitter, and social media users were quick to blast Pence.
Mike Pence caught on hot mic delivering empty boxes of PPE for a PR stunt. pic.twitter.com/IduvGhiPwj
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) May 8, 2020
“No better example of the institutional failures that have happened during this crisis than the Vice President delivering empty boxes of masks to a nursing home before a gawking press,” he wrote.
However, other users pointed out that the video cuts out before the rest of the event is shown. In the entire clip, shown on C-Span, Pence appears to be joking about carrying the empty boxes, and someone replies to his quip, “they’re a lot easier.”
Pence then shuts the van doors and the cart is moved away without him picking up any empty boxes.
The issue of whether the boxes are full or not aside, some commenters were upset to see Pence loading the boxes without wearing a mask or gloves.
The vice president recently took heat for appearing at a Mayo Clinic in Minnesota without wearing a mask. At the time, Pence’s wife Karen told reporters that he wasn’t aware of the requirement, though the Mayo Clinic contradicted this statement, saying that Pence was informed that he should wear a mask before his visit.
Pence later said that he should have worn a mask while visiting the hospital. Currently, the government recommends that people wear a mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
