Biden touts Trump getting COVID-19 vaccine booster shot: 'Maybe one of the few things he and I agree on'
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
- Biden highlighted the fact that Trump has received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in a speech Tuesday.
- Boosters are "maybe one of the few things he and I agree on," said Biden.
- Biden also praised the Trump administration for its role in developing vaccines.
President Joe Biden highlighted the fact that former President Donald Trump has received a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it was one of the few things the two of them agreed on.
Biden made the remarks in a Tuesday speech at the White House on the Omicron variant, which now accounts for over 70% of COVID-19 cases in the United States. The White House announced earlier on Tuesday that the administration would be purchasing half a billion rapid tests and making them available to Americans beginning in mid-January 2022.
In his remarks, Biden said that getting a booster shot and wearing a mask were among the most important things Americans can do protect both themselves and the people around them.
"Our doctors have made it clear, booster shots provide the strongest protection," he said. "Unfortunately, we still have tens of millions of people who are eligible for the booster shot who have not yet gotten it."
Then, in a bid to appeal to conservatives who might be skeptical of getting yet another shot, Biden highlighted the former president's revelation that he had also gotten a booster shot.
"I got my booster shot as soon as they were available," said Biden. "And just the other day, former President Trump announced he had gotten his booster shot. Maybe one of the few things he and I agree on."
—CSPAN (@cspan) December 21, 2021
Biden also offered some praise for the Trump administration, crediting the former president for helping to develop vaccines.
"Let me be clear: thanks to the prior administration and our scientific community, America was one of the first countries to get the vaccine," he said. "And thanks to my administration and the hard work of Americans, we led a rollout that made America among the world leaders in getting shots in arms."
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 21, 2021
Over the weekend, former President Trump told a crowd of his supporters in Dallas that he'd received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, prompting booing and jeering from the audience. He also sought to take credit for the vaccine, warning his supporters not to "let them take it away."
"You're playing right into their hands when you're sort of, like, 'Oh, the vaccine,'" said Trump over the weekend, referring to those of his supporters who have expressed hesitancy about or opposition to the vaccine.
"If you don't want to take it, you shouldn't be forced to take it — no mandates," he added. "But take credit because we saved tens of millions of lives."
Trump's comments marked a reversal from just months ago, when he told The Wall Street Journal that he was unlikely to get a booster shot.
"I feel like I'm in good shape from that standpoint — I probably won't," he told the newspaper in September. "I'll look at stuff later on. I'm not against it, but it's probably not for me."
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/33IhDPj
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