Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) gives demonstration of mask-wearing – screen grab via NBC Washington.
After the CDC reversed course and recommended that people wear face masks when they go out in public, officials at state levels all over the country followed suit by advising residents of their respective states to don a mask when they went grocery shopping, to work, etc.
Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) was one high-profile official who spoke of the need to wear face masks during a Monday briefing. As he made his recommendation, Northam proceeded to take out his own mask and put it on his face to show how it worked.
Here’s video of that moment:
Whoever runs the social media feed for NBC Washington did a screen grab of Northam putting on the mask, but their description of what took place gave readers and viewers a sense of déjà vu:
.@NBCWashington deleted this truly amazing tweet pic.twitter.com/49hvzBVENa
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 6, 2020
Oops.
In a follow-up tweet, which was also deleted, NBC Washington corrected themselves to note it was actually a green mask, not a black mask.
“Upon closer examination, the governor’s face mask appears to be dark green,” they tweeted, according to The Hill.
I am laughing so hard right now. pic.twitter.com/tm8UvptJPI
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) April 6, 2020
They ended up apologizing altogether for the description, but the Twittersphere still ran wild with the original tweet:
Why would you delete this masterpiece pic.twitter.com/orz9dTr2W8
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 6, 2020
I give you the worst (or best?) worded tweet of the year. pic.twitter.com/9zYi0Iahka
— neontaster (@neontaster) April 6, 2020
Second time we've seen "Gov. Northam" followed by "Black Face" pic.twitter.com/OFQfE0moM9
— Stefan Kleinhenz (@StefKleinhenz) April 6, 2020
I. Just. Can't. This is terrible. (Reminder: Northam was earlier involved in a blackface scandal). pic.twitter.com/1BzirRN9mq
— Irina Tsukerman (@irinatsukerman) April 6, 2020
Northam, as many will recall, faced intense backlash last February after a photo from his college days surfaced which showed one student in blackface and another in KKK garb. Northam initially admitted to being the one in blackface, but later retracted his admission during a bizarre press conference that was perhaps even more embarrassing than his original acknowledgement of the photo.
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