Trump urges even anti-vaxxer to get shot
Former President Donald Trump still wants to be known as the guy who gave the country the COVID vaccine.
Even as his MAGA supporters spew anti-vaxxer lies, Trump on Thursday reiterated his strong support for the lifesaving shots.
“The vaccines work ... The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine,” Trump declared in a new interview with right wing media personality Candace Owens.
Trump opposes vaccine mandates and other COVID-related restrictions. But he didn’t shy away from telling his legion of fans to get their shots.
“It’s still their choice,” Trump added. “(But) if you take the vaccine, you’re protected.”
Trump refused to take the bait when Owens sought to blame President Biden because more people have died on his watch than on Trump’s, despite the mass vaccination campaign.
“Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get (side effects), it’s a very minor form,” Trump continued. “People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.”
Trump has long boasted about spearheading the effort to develop the vaccines during his presidency.
He recently stepped up the campaign to take credit for the vaccines, telling supporters during a rally that he received his booster shot. That statement drew boos from the MAGA crowd but rare praise from across the political spectrum, including a thumbs up from President Biden.
Trump’s supporters are far less likely than other Americans to get vaccinated and his allies in Congress and the media, including Owens, are among the loudest purveyors of brazen anti-vaxxer lies.