--- title: Chris Wallace Slams Trump Family for Not Wearing Masks at Debate description: Chris Wallace slammed the president's family members and chief of staff Mark Meadows for not wearing masks during the presidential debate canonical: https://time.com/5896169/chris-wallace-trump-family-masks/ author: Sanya Mansoor article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-10-04T16:20:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T09:16:57.345Z article:section: Politics og:title: Chris Wallace Slams Trump Family for Not Wearing Masks at Debate og:description: "Why did the first family and chief of staff feel that the rules for everybody else didn’t apply to them?" Wallace said Sunday og:url: https://time.com/5896169/chris-wallace-trump-family-masks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7edf96459d49ceb/698a12d5b3fce36f9d0c7361/trump-family-debate-no-masks.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: trump-family-debate-no-masks og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chris Wallace Slams Trump Family for Not Wearing Masks at Debate twitter:description: "Why did the first family and chief of staff feel that the rules for everybody else didn’t apply to them?" Wallace said Sunday twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7edf96459d49ceb/698a12d5b3fce36f9d0c7361/trump-family-debate-no-masks.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Why Did They Break the Rules?': Chris Wallace Slams Trump Family, Chief of Staff for Not Wearing Masks During the Presidential Debate > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Sanya Mansoor](https://time.com/author/sanya-mansoor/)  ## Sanya Mansoor Oct 4, 2020 4:20 PM UTC  President Trump's four grown children and First Lady Melania Trump, all without masks, at the first presidential debate between Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland on Sept. 29, 2020. President Trump's four grown children and First Lady Melania Trump, all without masks, at the first presidential debate between Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland on Sept. 29, 2020.Ruth Fremson—The New York Times/Redux  by [Sanya Mansoor](https://time.com/author/sanya-mansoor/)  ## Sanya Mansoor Oct 4, 2020 4:20 PM UTC Fox News anchor Chris Wallace slammed President Donald Trump’s family members and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for breaking safety rules and not wearing masks while in the audience of the presidential debate he moderated on Tuesday. “Everybody was told to wear a mask. Why did the first family and chief of staff feel that the rules for everybody else didn’t apply to them?” Wallace asked senior Trump campaign adviser Steve Cortes on [_Fox News Sunday_](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/campaign-steve-cortes-fox-news-sunday-trump-walter-reed-coronavirus). Wallace highlighted that Cleveland Clinic staff had offered the first family masks but “they were waved away.” Cortes pushed back, stressing that “everybody was tested before that event” and pointed to the belief “in some element of individual choice.” Wallace doubled down on his question, adding that “there was no freedom of choice. They broke the rules,” Wallace said, since only he, the President and Vice President were exempt from the requirement. Earlier in the interview, Wallace also pressed Cortes on the lack of masks at the [Rose Garden event](https://www.statnews.com/2020/10/03/hugs-handshakes-and-few-masks-rose-garden-supreme-court-announcement-packed-with-covid19-red-flags/?utm%5Fcampaign=rss) last weekend, in which Trump formally announced he would be nominating [Amy Coney Barrett](https://time.com/5895544/amy-coney-barrett-covid-19/) to the Supreme Court. “People packed together, the vast majority not wearing masks, how does that make sense?” Wallace asked, pointing out that several people who attended have now [tested positive](https://time.com/5895539/donald-trump-covid-19-presidential-race/) for the coronavirus, including [President Trump](https://time.com/5895938/not-on-a-clear-path-to-a-full-recovery-what-happens-if-trumps-condition-worsens/) and the First Lady. Cortes went on to accuse Wallace of targeting him, saying, “Chris, the way you’re starting to harangue me now actually reminds me of what you did with the President during that debate on Tuesday night.” Wallace quickly interjected, reminding Cortes that it was the President who interrupted both him and Vice President Biden “145 times.” “I object to saying I harangued the President. I know it’s the talking point,” Wallace said. Cortes went on, “He had to debate not just Joe Biden but you as well. You were not a neutral moderator.” The Trump Administration has so far been relatively evasive about providing clear answers about the President’s medical condition. The White House physician’s press briefing on Saturday added to the confusion as they maintained that Trump had mild symptoms and was improving, while Meadows [told the Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-donald-trump-elections-campaigns-08fcfd3778ca3bbabd011307cf23dc8d) that Trump had undergone a “very concerning” period on Friday and was anticipating a “critical” 48 hours ahead. 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