While the former president’s messaging on pandemics has been shaky at times, he now quotes the COVID-19 vaccine as “one of the greatest achievements of mankind.”
During a recent interview with right-wing media personality Candace Owens, Trump took personal credit for how rapidly vaccines were developed as well as their efficacy, HuffPost reported.
“I came up with three vaccines — all are very, very good,” Trump told Owens in an interview on Wednesday.
“The vaccine worked, but some people aren’t taking it. The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take their vaccine.”
“But it’s still their choice,” he persisted.
“If you take the vaccine, you’re protected. But the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it’s a very minor form. People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.”
Donald Trump: ‘The Vaccine is one of the greatest achievements of mankind’ ‘All three vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J) are very good’ ‘The vaccines work – If you take the vaccine you are protected’ ‘People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine’ pic.twitter.com/fU8q1sdMda
— Popper (@Kukicat7) December 22, 2021
Meanwhile, in October, Owens disclosed that she had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
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“I survived the greatest psychological fear campaign in human history,” she tweeted at the time.
“I see our media and governments for what they are now: powerless without our incessant fear.”
Floyd Mayweather’s refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine met with her approval, and she tweeted, “A slave mind follows the crowd.”
With the interview, Trump promoted the jabs for the second time in less than a week. Trump drew boos last weekend after admitting to former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly that he’d received a booster shot at some point prior to the “History Tour” that took them across four states.
As a result of his vaccine endorsement, Trump has come into conflict with his supporters. Vaccination rates in the U.S. are almost evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted in November. 60% of unvaccinated Americans are Republicans or Republicans-leaning independents, while 17% are Democrats or Democrat-leaning independents, according to the poll.
While other prominent Democrats have expressed appreciation for Trump’s vaccine comments, including White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
“This is not a partisan issue,” said Psaki on Thursday. “This is about saving lives, communicating accurate information, pushing back against inaccurate information. And in this particular case, the former president did that.”
Just weeks before losing to Biden in the presidential election, Trump tested positive for COVID-19. While he reportedly received his first COVID-19 vaccination before leaving office in January, he was not photographed receiving it, unlike Biden and other politicians.
