Democrat New York governor Kathy Hochul received criticism on Friday for dancing in front of a group of masked Puerto Rican children while not wearing a mask herself.
In the video, Hochul can be seen clapping and swaying side to side, flashing a toothy smile clearly visible due to the lack of a face mask of any kind.
By contrast, the young Puerto Rican children around Hochul all had masks strapped to their faces.
The situation was widely criticized on social media.
.@GovKathyHochul is at a school in San Juan, Puerto Rico with AFT president @rweingarten handing out backpacks to students. She has a reception later tonight days after her Election Day victory. pic.twitter.com/PqK7n2eX0C
— katie honan (@katie_honan) November 10, 2022
“Forcing kids to wear masks while you exploit them for your own political career. What shameful cruelty,” journalist Tom Elliot said.
Forcing kids to wear masks while you exploit them for your own political career. What shameful cruelty
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 11, 2022
Here is Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrating her re-election in the only way she knows how — forcing young children to wear masks pic.twitter.com/0oj8G5dlOD
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 11, 2022
The situation drew comparisons to when Vice President Kamala Harris chose not to don a face mask for a photo op with masked young black students at Neville Thomas Elementary School, drawing criticism on social media.
Harris announced $500 million in school grants to increase energy efficiency and promote progressive causes such as “better health and educational outcomes” in “low-income communities of color that face under-investment and high pollution.”
“For decades, our country has chronically under-invested in our public schools and far too many of our school districts have gone without important repairs and upgrades to buildings and to classrooms,” Harris stated.
Following her prepared remarks, Harris invited young black students – all masked per compulsory guidelines supported by the Biden administration – up onto the stage for a photo session.
Harris, who is of half-Indian and half-Jamaican descent, did not don a mask for the photo op.
The discrepancy between the Vice President and the black school children was criticized on social media.
Harris’ masklessness drew comparisons to a similar situation from earlier this year, when Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams chose to pose maskless with masked kindergarteners in a controversial photo op.
