President Biden said Monday that local doctors and preachers are more influential than former President Donald Trump when it comes to persuading Mr. Trump’s vaccine-skeptical supporters to get their shots.
“I discussed it with my team, and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preacher[s] — what the local people in the community say,” Mr. Biden said at a White House event.
Mr. Biden had been asked whether Mr. Trump should promote the coronavirus vaccine among Republicans who are skeptical of getting their shots.
“So I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why,” Mr. Biden said. “Why it’s important to get that vaccine and even after that until everyone is, in fact, vaccinated, to wear this mask.”
Mr. Biden said the U.S. is on track to reach 100 million vaccine shots administered within the next 10 days.
He is presumably referring to the number of shots administered since he took office in January.
More than 109 million total shots have been administered in the U.S. and more than 71 million people have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other members of Mr. Biden’s administration said they would welcome Mr. Trump’s involvement in any sort of public vaccination campaign.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted earlier Monday that every living former president except Mr. Trump participated in a public-service campaign this month to promote vaccination, and “they did not need an engraved invitation to do so.”
“If former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, certainly we’d support that,” she said.
She also cited polling to back up Mr. Biden’s contention that doctors or health care providers would be more influential voices.
Mr. Trump and then-first lady Melania Trump were vaccinated quietly before leaving office. They didn’t disclose their vaccinations until recently.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared in a recent ad together to urge the public to get their shots.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top medical adviser to Mr. Biden, said over the weekend it would make “all the difference in the world” if Mr. Trump led a public campaign to convince his supporters to take the vaccine.
“If he came out and said, go and get vaccinated, it’s really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him,” Dr. Fauci said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“He’s such a strongly popular person,” Dr. Fauci continued. “I cannot imagine that if he comes out that they would not get vaccinated. It would be very helpful to the effort for that to happen.”
The former president encouraged people to get their shots when he made a recent public appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Florida.
Mr. Trump also reminded the public last week that his “Operation Warp Speed” laid the groundwork for the swift development of several coronavirus vaccines.
“I hope everyone remembers when they’re getting the COVID-19 (often referred to as the China Virus) Vaccine, that if I wasn’t President, you wouldn’t be getting that beautiful ‘shot’ for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn’t be getting it at all,” Mr. Trump said in a statement. “I hope everyone remembers!”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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