Ted Cruz refuses to wear a mask during press conference, tells reporter to ‘step away if you like’

Ted Cruz refuses to wear a mask during press conference, tells reporter to 'step away if you like'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) refused a reporter’s requests to put on a mask during a press conference on Wednesday, falsely claiming that he was following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Would you mind putting a mask on for us?” a reporter asked.

“Yeah, when I’m talking to the TV camera I’m not going to wear a mask, and all of us have been immunized,” Cruz said as he gestured to his Republican colleagues who were standing behind him, wearing masks.



“It would make us feel better,” the reporter said.

“You’re welcome to step away if you like,” Cruz replied, before saying that being able to not wear a mask was “the whole point of a vaccine.”

 “CDC guidance is what we’re following,’ he added.



The CDC currently recommends that, “after you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.”