Trump Bedminster Club Members Invited to Attend Friday Night News Conference; Staffers Pass Out Masks

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Reporters going to President Donald Trump’s news conference in Bedminster, New Jersey Friday night were greeted by golf club members, who were positioned directly behind them minutes before the president spoke.

Initially, the majority of the members were packed together inside near the reporters without facial coverings before staffers passed out masks. Gov. Phil Murphy has signed several mask mandates that requires people to wear facial coverings.

Country club members awaiting the president pic.twitter.com/cm9FOvtoC9

— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) August 7, 2020

this is the scene pic.twitter.com/SbO20iBxa4

— Justin Sink (@justinsink) August 7, 2020

Masks have now been handed out to visitors who are observing the president’s press conference. pic.twitter.com/dCFo5Z0744

— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) August 7, 2020

The scene here at Bedminster, waiting for the news conference with President Trump pic.twitter.com/A7KN2i7LOI

— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) August 7, 2020

Trump’s late-night news conference initially came as a surprise because he did not have any public events on his schedule today. Around 5:30 p.m., Trump tweeted, “I will be doing a news conference on the ChinaVirus, the just announced very good economic numbers, and the improving economy, at 7pm from Bedminster, New Jersey. Also, the subject of the Beirut, Lebanon catastrophe will be discussed.”

New Jersey has seen over 185,000 cases resulting in a little under 16,000 deaths since the beginning of March due to the virus.

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