Doctor ‘snubbed for trying to tell Trumps to wear masks at debate'

Melania also took off mask once she sat down

Donald Trump's four children were pictured not wearing masks during the debate despite the guidelines (AP)

Donald Trump’s four children were seen ignoring the mandatory mask rule while watching the  presidential debate.

Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, and Tiffany Trump were pictured entering the Cleveland, Ohio venue wearing a mask, as per guidelines put in place by Cleveland Clinic doctors.

But then they were pictured with their masks off once they sat in their seats at the front row of the venue. These seats were spaced apart to abide by social distancing guidelines.

Melania Trump, who sat nearby, was spotted wearing a mask when she went to her seat. But Bloomberg reporter Tyler Pager reported she removed the mask once she reached her seat.

Guests were told to wear the masks throughout the entirety of the debate, which took place at Case Western Reserve University on Tuesday evening. 

NBC News reported that a Cleveland Clinic doctor tried to approach the Trump children and other guests over their lack of masks while at the venue. Someone shook their head as the doctor got close to the family, NBC reported, and ultimately the doctor did not approach them.

No one the doctor asked to put on a mask from the president’s group of guests actually put one on, it was reported.

When the doctor walked away from the group a debate staffer was heard telling her: “That’s all you can do”.

It was reported by Bloomberg that more than half of Mr Trump’s side of the debate were not wearing masks throughout the event. In comparison, Dr Jill Biden and all other members on Joe Biden’s side wore a mask during the debate.

The Commission on Presidential Debates altered its debate rules due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two presidential candidates did not shake hands at the start of the debate and their podiums were spaced further from each other on the stage. The mandatory mask rule was also in place for all members of the audience.

Also, everyone who entered the venue was tested for the coronavirus.

Donald Trump Jr went on Fox News with Sean Hannity after the debate and joked that he tested negative for the coronavirus and needed to state that publicly to avoid facing backlash.

Coronavirus was one of the six topics brought up during the debate, and Mr Biden said the sitting president was “totally irresponsible the way he's handled social distancing and discouraging people to wear masks."

Mr Trump has been holding large campaign rallies in recent months where most attendees are not socially distanced or wearing masks.

During the debate, the president claimed the only reason why Mr Biden was not holding similar rallies was because his campaign would not draw a similar crowd.

Last week the United States reached the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths from Covid-19 – a figure Mr Biden continuously mentioned to argue his position that the Trump administration has mishandled the novel virus.