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Elections are about choices, and 2020 is shaping up to be an imagery choice -- do you like your President with or without a mask?

Trump paid tribute to fallen heroes Monday at Arlington National Cemetery and later Baltimore's historic Fort McHenry, and he was true to form -- no mask. He's made it clear ... he's not going to wear a mask in public -- as he put it, he doesn't want to give reporter that satisfaction -- but he was seen once at a Michigan Ford plant wearing a mask behind a curtain.

Meanwhile, Joe and his wife, Jill, ventured outside for the first time since the shelter-at-home orders were implemented and his presidential campaign came to a screeching halt. The former VP and Jill laid a wreath during a visit to a veterans memorial in Delaware.

Joe, Jill and even his secret service detail all wore black masks.

Although a mask is a scientifically-based precaution, it's also become a political symbol. Trump clearly is telling his supporters NOT to wear them ... almost as if it's a sign of weakness. Biden clearly begs to differ.

It's really frightening ... a 2nd Amendment Kentucky rally the day before Memorial Day turned into an insane display of Governor Andy Beshear being hung in effigy.

It makes no sense, other than some gun-toting fanatics wanting to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Around 100 people swarmed the Governor's mansion to celebrate constitutional rights, as they packed heat.

It was billed as a Second Amendment rally ... "what it really means to be FREE."

Pastor Cliff Christman then launched on the Governor's coronavirus restrictions, grousing, "This has been one of the biggest shams in world history ... Grown men have been hiding in homes nearly wetting their pants over this invisible enemy that nobody sees. Where is it at?  Let it come out and face us."

Donald Trump wants thousands of Republican delegates crammed into the convention hall in North Carolina ... or else.

Trump just tweeted he will move the Republican Convention out of North Carolina unless Governor Roy Cooper gives assurance the convention can operate at full capacity.

Trump said, "Unfortunately, Democratic Governor @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood (sic) & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena."  Trump went on to threaten a switch if the Governor doesn't cave ... "... we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican Convention site. This is not something I want to do."

Doctors and scientists have implored people to maintain social distancing in public ... that's why there will be no fans at sporting events in the foreseeable future. What's more, just a few people who have the virus can infect hundreds, and those hundreds can infect thousands and so on. It's been happening at churches, choirs, nursing homes, etc.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just got a test done on herself pertaining to coronavirus -- but don't worry ... it's not the one that'll make you cringe to watch ... we think.

The congresswoman posted a video of herself getting an antibody test for COVID-19 in her native New York ... where she was getting blood drawn by a nurse at a pop-up test site in Queens. The easily queasy crowd should leave the room now ... you're gonna see red stuff.

Lucky for us, we didn't have to see the needle go in -- just watched it come out and all the bandaging afterward, which ain't so bad. AOC didn't flinch much either -- she was super polite and cordial with the guy, who told her to expect a call with results in a few days.

She wrote of the experience, "Did you know? There are 2 types of COVID tests!  The nasal swab tests if you have COVID now. Antibody blood tests check if you already had COVID, even w/ few or no symptoms." It's interesting ... getting the test implies you think you might've had the 'rona at one point or another, and might be resistant to it now.

As far as we know, AOC hasn't mentioned any possible past contraction -- also unclear if she's been tested for the virus. If she did, we don't blame her for not getting it on video.

In case you haven't heard, the nasal swab they use to test for 'rona is GNARLY ... for some people, anyway. They stick a long Q-tip type contraption in your nose, and sometimes run it super deep. People have described it as having your brain stabbed.

Donald Trump's ploy to stay unmasked for the public just got unmasked, because he put one on at the Ford motor plant.

Trump flew to Michigan, where the plant has been partially converted to manufacture ventilators. The plant's rule -- everyone must wear a mask, and even the State Attorney General warned Trump to cover his face.

In true fashion, when Trump was talking to reporters, he was not wearing a mask, but told them he had worn the one earlier while he was behind the curtain. In true 8th grade fashion, he said he didn't want to give reporters the satisfaction of seeing him with a mask.

But, someone got the pic of the Prez wearing the PPE.

BTW ... here's what's ridiculous. Trump was exposed to at least 2 people in The White House who tested positive for COVID-19. He was worried enough that he might have contracted it to take hydroxychloroquine for 2 full weeks.

Pretty much every doctor -- from Dr. Fauci on down -- has said people who might be positive for the virus are the ones who ABSOLUTELY need to wear a mask to protect others. So, if Trump felt he was at risk, why did he not protect others?

He has said he's been tested daily, including Thursday morning, but the news is now filled with stories of false negatives ... including tests used at The White House.

The eagle has landed in D.C. for 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic, whose legal team is hoping they can get the President's ear ... and they even got their elevator pitch down to a tee.

Eric Love -- who's heading up the team of top-notch attorneys out of Fort Worth, TX -- came on ''TMZ Live'' Wednesday with a major update on their cross-country road trip down to the nation's capital, in hopes of receiving presidential pardon for Joe from Donald Trump.

He says they've finally arrived, and are out cruising the town parading their huge bus around ... ya know, the one with the piercing "PARDON JOE EXOTIC" wrap on both sides.

Anyway, that's not even the biggest news from their touching down -- Eric claims DT's aware of their presence. Citing his own sources, Eric says Trump and some of his fam know the dealio -- Secret Service does too, apparently -- but there's still no guarantee of getting a meeting with the guy at this point. Not to worry, though ... they're staying hopeful.

We also asked Eric to dish out a mock 30-second spiel on why Joe should get sprung. Watch ... sounds like Eric's gonna appeal to Trump's sense of being wronged and targeted.

Joe Exotic's legal team is hours away from pulling up to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with the goal of bending Donald Trump's ear for a pardon, and it turns out this isn't the first time Joe wanted to bend Trump's ear.

Turns out Joe was something of a Donald Trump fan back in 2016, despite the fact Joe himself was running for President. Joe attended a Trump campaign event just outside Oklahoma City and plunked down $1,000 to meet and greet DT.

Joe left the home where the shindig was going down to smoke a cig, and when he tried to go back in he says he was blocked by the Secret Service. He says they told him once anyone left they couldn't get back in, but our sources say Joe was acting "starstruck" and the agents were taken aback by him ... they say he was acting a little odd.

Joe seemed to think the reason he was not let back in was because when he showed his ID, the agents saw he had a concealed-carry permit.

So, under the heading -- if you don't succeed, try, try again -- Joe's legal team will be rolling up to The White House Tuesday to ask Trump for a pardon. As you know Joe was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill his archnemesis, Carole Baskin, along with animal-related crimes. Lots of people think Joe didn't get a fair shake at trial, and his legal team is making a full-court press to spring him from the big house.

Stay tuned ... it's gonna get interesting.

President Trump is going all-in on pushing hydroxychloroquine as a way to fight the coronavirus ... because he says he's taking the stuff himself!!!

That's right, folks ... Trump claims he's been taking the drug he can't stop talking about -- which is commonly used to treat malaria, but also lupus and arthritis -- for a couple weeks now.

He doesn't seem to have any qualms about it either ... despite the FDA warning that the drug is unproven against COVID-19 and shouldn't be used outside a hospital setting.

POTUS also claims many other people are taking it -- including frontline workers and doctors -- and seems to be suggesting hydroxychloroquine can be used as a preventative measure against the virus ... though there's no scientific evidence to back that up.

Trump insists there's nothing dangerous about using it and continues to claim he's heard very good things about it. He adds ... "And, if it's not good, I'll tell you right, I'm not going to get hurt by it."

As for his proof of some of the "good stories" he's heard, he mentions one doctor in Westchester, NY who is allegedly using it to treat patients ... and hasn't had any die.

Joe Exotic's new legal team is true to its word -- they hit the road bright and early Monday AM, heading for Washington D.C. ... where they hope to ask President Trump to pardon the 'Tiger King' star.

Team Tiger's leader, Eric Love, just shared a video update from the official "Please Pardon Joe Exotic" tour bus ... saying they're en route to The White House with one goal in mind.

Love says they have some live entertainment onboard to pass the time -- it's a 1,300-mile drive -- and he's really loving all the support and encouragement from Joe's fans along the way.

As we first told you ... Love and the rest of the Exotic's legal dream team out of Fort Worth are hoping their trip to the nation's capital will grab the President's interest, in case the Texas-style video asking him for a pardon didn't do the trick.

Team Tiger's stance is not just that Joe's not guilty of trying to get Carole Baskin killed ... he was actually framed.

Exotic's lawyers are also appealing Joe's conviction and pursuing a malicious prosecution lawsuit against several people involved in his criminal trial.

Of course, a pardon from POTUS is a huge ask ... but it's not outside the realm of possibility. Trump joked about it when talking about the 'Tiger King' at a coronavirus briefing ... so it's already on his radar.  If he thinks Joe can help him in November ... who knows?

An E.R. doctor, who goes by Dr. Bill, is irate that the federal government is spending millions of dollars on Blue Angels flyovers while medical workers have to wear painters masks and the hungry go without food ... and he says it's all to make President Trump look good.

Dr. Bill didn't say where he works, but he's pissed at the flyovers by the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, which salute health care workers in various cities.

The doc says it costs $450k for one Blue Angels flyover and another $450k for the Thunderbirds. The Air Force and Navy pilots have been buzzing various cities, drawing big crowds from below, but Dr. Bill says it's a shameful waste of money.

He holds up a painters mask with contempt, noting they don't provide nearly the protection of the scarcer N-95 masks. He's also ticked off some of the essential services that could be funded in lieu of flyovers.

Van Jones says while America's now coping with a pandemic, black America's been battling epidemic violence, poverty and disease long before coronavirus came along.

The Reform Alliance CEO was on "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about his CNN special, "The Color of Covid" -- and he didn't mince words when describing the challenges facing many minority communities.

Van says there's always been an epidemic of death in neighborhoods of color. He says, "You’re worried about invisible bullets from the virus? We've been dodging real bullets the whole time." He says that mentality explains the recent massive crowds gathered for parties in Atlanta and Chicago.

Black and Latino communities also face different health risks as the nation reopens, due to underlying health problems that have gone unchecked for years. As Van, and many doctors, point out ... hypertension, heart disease and diabetes immediately put you in the at-risk category for COVID-19. Of course, staying home only creates economic hardship.

Van says the federal government needs a better battle plan, one that offers better medical AND economic stimuli to people of color.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is terrified for her sons in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery's killing, and she says the tragedy has her family -- like so many others -- shaken and angry.

Bottoms called Ahmaud's case just the latest incident in a disturbing history of African-Americans being targets of violence -- and she told us about its impact on her city, her state and her own house ... when she joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live."

The Mayor says Ahmaud's murder hits close to home because her family's been personally affected in a similar way. It's all making her rethink "the talk" African-American parents must have with their sons -- particularly her own 18-year-old.

Typically that's about how to react with law enforcement, but Mayor KLB says she never thought to prepare him for the scenario of armed citizens ambushing him in broad daylight while out for a jog.

She added, there's a major void at the top of government when it comes to leadership for young, black men ... something she hopes will change come November. On that note, the Mayor doesn't feel President Trump's done much to fix the problem -- quite the opposite -- but she has some advice for him on how he can start helping.

Joe Exotic's massive new legal team is chomping at the bit to ask Donald Trump for a presidential pardon for the 'Tiger King' ... and they're ready to flood the White House!!!

Eric Love, the super-colorful figure leading Joe's legal team, just checked in from the HQ in Ft. Worth, Texas ... telling us they're hitting the road bright and early Monday en route to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

As you can see ... the big bus wrapped in a plea to get Joe sprung from prison looks all gassed up and ready to go to D.C. ... and Eric says they're gonna enjoy the weekend then get down to brass tacks.

As we first reported ... Joe's legal team produced a Texas-style video asking POTUS for a pardon, claiming the 'Tiger King' is not only NOT GUILTY of trying to get Carole Baskin whacked ... he was also FRAMED.

Joe's army of lawyers will attack on all fronts ... they're appealing Joe's conviction, asking Trump for a pardon and even pursuing a malicious prosecution lawsuit against a bunch of people involved in Joe's criminal trial.

As you know ... there's also evidence the alleged hitman had an ax to grind with Joe, because he told us his testimony against Exotic was "payback" and he wished he could've done even more to hurt Joe.

And, as we previously reported ... Trump actually joked about a pardon for Joe when talking about the 'Tiger King' at a coronavirus briefing.