Former President Donald Trump has been known to cast doubt on vaccines in the past, but his recent remarks show a shift in stance as COVID-19 vaccines are being administered daily. Trump encouraged his supporters to get vaccinated for COVID-19 but noted that some may still refuse to take it.
The former president made the remarks in a phone-in interview with Fox News. Trump encouraged his base of supporters to get vaccinated for COVID-19, even to those who would refuse to receive the vaccine. Prior to leaving the White House in January, Trump got vaccinated for COVID-19 in the White House along with first lady Melania Trump, but their vaccinations were not publicized compared to their predecessors, including his successor Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden. Trump further assured that the vaccine is safe and effective.
“I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it,” said the former president to anchor Maria Bartiromo.
This also comes as polls have shown that almost 50 percent of Republicans, including his own supporters, have shown skepticism towards the COVID-19 vaccines that are already being administered to the public. However, there are those who have shown skepticism out of concern for the side effects the vaccines may cause, but repeated trials of the vaccine have shown that the vaccines are safe. Trump’s predecessors, former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, with their respective spouses, all featured in a PSA encouraging Americans to get vaccinated, showing their vaccinations as well.
In other related news, Trump is scheduled for at least 12 interviews with book authors in the coming weeks. The authors who are set to do a sit-down with the former president are either seeking to write a sequel to their previous books about his presidency, with some having already published their work during his term. However, the former president’s aides have reportedly expressed concerns that Trump may be doing too many interviews that might hurt his chances of penning his own book about his time in the White House should he choose to publish one.