WATCH: Olivia Nuzzi Asks Psaki if Biden Officials Wearing Masks is Contributing to Vaccine Hesitancy

New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki if the wearing of masks by President Joe Biden and other vaccinated officials is having a “negative effect” on convincing skeptics to get the coronavirus vaccine.

Just under a year after then-President Donald Trump suggested injecting disinfectant in order to treat the coronavirus, Psaki took to the same podium and was asked if wearing masks after being vaccinated sends the wrong message.

“Do you think that the White House has had any part in this — in having, sort of, maybe a pessimistic message towards some Americans who are skeptical of this administration, who — for partisan reasons or otherwise — to see vaccinated people in the Cabinet or the President continuing to wear masks around each other, or hearing that things won’t be back to normal as the vaccine continues to be distributed? Do you think that that is having a negative effect at all?” Nuzzi asked.

“On people — make sure I understand your question,” Psaki asked.

“Of people who are skeptical,” Nuzzi said.

“On people not taking the vaccine?” Psaki asked.

“Yeah, of people who are skeptical of the vaccine and who don’t trust the Biden administration,” Nuzzi clarified.

Psaki took a shot at answering, explaining the administration’s use of different messengers in different communities, and that “part of our objective is to model public health guidelines, and that means continuing to wear masks, continuing to handwash, social distance, because there is still ongoing research” on ending the pandemic, but wound up telling Nuzzi “I’m not sure I’m understanding your question maybe.”

Nuzzi tried again:

The question is: How do you — how do you strike that balance between being a model of the public health guidelines and also not contributing to the sense of hopelessness, perhaps, among people who are skeptical to take the vaccine and maybe feel like getting it would not make a difference in their lives anyway?

MS. PSAKI: Sure. Yeah, I think a big part of what we’re trying to do is provide accurate information about what getting a vaccine will enable the American people to do; hence, the President gave a primetime address where he said, if when you get the vac- — if you — when the vaccine is accessible to you and you get it, we can work towards having backyard barbecues.

He — we’ve also had a number of officials out there to convey, and we’ve had — obviously, the CDC has put out guidance that says, “If you’re vaccinated, if your neighbors are vaccinated, you can have dinner inside together.” It’s a pandemic. We don’t think it’s easy. We know it’s difficult. It’s required a lot of sacrifice. But at the same time, we’re trying to provide accurate, public health-based guidance on what people can do once they have taken the vaccine.

In a poll released last week, two-thirds of the group most likely to refuse the vaccine — Republicans — also said that they trust Trump for medical advice. That’s twice as many as trust the CDC, more than thrice as many as trust Dr. Anthony Fauci, and six times as many as trust President Biden.

Watch the clip above via The White House.