Defense Sec. mocked, ridiculed for arriving in the Philippines wearing mask, face shield
The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who is fully vaccinated, shared a video to his Twitter account landing in the Philippines wearing a mask and a full face shield.
“Wheels down in the Philippines,” Austin tweeted along with the video of him wearing the protective face shield.
Reactions to the Secretary’s choice of face protection were mixed, with some calling him “embarrassing” while others praised his leadership.
“What a joke. Full face shield. I’m surprised the dude’s not in full hazmat gear,” replied California congressional candidate Buzz Patterson.
“Embarrassing,” another Twitter user simply replied.
“Please wear a helmet too next time, covid may transmit through the ears and hair,” quipped someone else.
“This is only encouraging people not to get vaccinated,” replied another.
“I got a coin from Gen Austin when I was in Iraq. I never would’ve believed that he’d buy into these theatrics so easily,” said another.
Others pointed out Austin’s fist bump as a medical contradiction to face protection.
“Wearing a plastic shield, but then touching other peoples’ hands. As absurd as it gets,” someone replied.
“Can’t wait to get vaccinated so I can wear 2 masks and a face shield,” said another.
“see – really not that hard – wear a damn mask and be safe and respectful to those around you – thank you for leading by example,” replied one of the Secretary’s supporters.