Melania Trump slammed for 'disgraceful' election day appearance
First Lady Melania Trump raised eyebrows when she stepped out on Tuesday morning (local time) to cast her vote in Florida, opting to forgo a face mask, despite everyone else at the polling place wearing one.
She stopped in at the voting centre erected at the Barbara Mandel Recreation Centre in Palm Beach close to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort about 10am.
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Asked why she didn't vote with the Republican president last week, the first lady told reporters: “It's election day so I wanted to come here to vote today for the election.”
The first lady waved and smiled to reporters. Many people online pointed out she was the only person not wearing a mask.
There is a county-wide mask mandate in place in the area, The New York Times reported.
The 50-year-old and her husband tested positive for coronavirus last month. Their son, Barron, also tested positive.
Ms Trump joined the campaign trail after she recovered from the virus, but it was unclear how long immunity to the virus lasts.
Melania only person not to wearing mask at polling place
When asked about her lack of face mask, Ms Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said the first lady was the only person at the polling site without one, with the exception of a couple of poll workers and her own staffers, all of whom were tested.
Grisham said no one was near the first lady “because of social distancing and the privacy” people received when they voted.
The first lady last month said she had recovered from a bout of Covid-19, which included symptoms of headaches, body aches and fatigue.
In a blog, she wrote she had since tested negative.
There has been a strong reaction to Ms Trump’s Tuesday morning appearance, with people perplexed over her not wearing a mask.
Prominent journalist Molly Jong-Fast said the bizarre display seemed as though “the Trump administration owns stock in coronavirus”.
“She’s disgraceful. Can’t wait until she goes back to whatever the hell she does,” someone else said.
It’s like the trump administration owns stock in coronavirus https://t.co/bi7QbEFchO
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) November 3, 2020
Others were also confused by her decision not accompanying Trump on election day.
Some speculated she voted separately from her husband because she didn’t vote for him.
“Let’s be real guys, @FLOTUS def[initely] voted for Biden,” one person wrote.
“I bet she voted for Biden,” another said.
Melania’s outfit also sparked further discussions on Twitter, with many people pointing out a potential hidden message in her $4.5K Gucci dress - that featured a chain-linked pattern of horse bits.
It comes off the back of rumours the Trump administration use a body double to fill in for Melania Trump.
On Tuesday, some once again thought something wasn’t quite right with Ms Trump’s appearance.
“Is that Melania Trump?” someone wrote, while another claimed: “That’s not FLOTUS.”
Actress Ellen Barkin wrote in a tweet: “If your partner were running for president, can you imagine NOT being with them on election day? Melania Trump sure can.”
With Associated Press
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