New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu attempted on Tuesday to both defend President Trump’s upcoming campaign rally in his state and at the same time explain why he has no intention of attending it in person.

“I’m going to go and greet the president as the governor,” Sununu told reporters. “I will not be in the crowd of thousands of people, I’m not going to put myself in the middle of a crowd of thousands of people, if that’s your question specifically. I try to—unfortunately, you know, I have to be extra cautious as the governor, I try to be extra cautious for myself, my family.”

While Sununu said “we expect folks to wear masks,” he did not take the extra step of imposing a mandatory mask order.