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HEALTH-VIRUS-US-POLITICS-TRUMP
Trump encourages his supporters to end vaccine resistance
WASHINGTON, March 17, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Former president Donald Trump on
Tuesday encouraged his Republican supporters — one of the main groups
resistant to Covid-19 vaccines — to get their shots.
“I would recommend it,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News.
“I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it and a
lot of those people voted for me, frankly,” he said.
“It’s a great vaccine, it’s a safe vaccine and it’s something that works.”
This was Trump’s most explicit endorsement for the national mass
vaccination campaign since he left office in January. All other living former
presidents, including Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush,
have delivered high profile public service announcements.
But Trump has largely been silent while the man who defeated him, President
Joe Biden, masterminds the vaccine rollout.
Polls show that Republican men, who are overwhelmingly supporters of Trump
and his “Make America Great Again” or MAGA platform, are the leading vaccine
skeptics.
Meanwhile, Trump remained non-committal about seeking to recapture the
presidency following his one term in office.
“Based on every poll, they want me to run again,” he said. “But we’re going
to take a look and we’ll see.”
Trump spoke a day after the White House suggested he shouldn’t be waiting
for an “engraved invitation” to join the public campaign encouraging
Americans to take Covid-19 vaccines.
“Every other living president… has participated in public campaigns. They
did not need an engraved invitation to do so. So he may decide he should do
that. If so, great,” Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki said.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0916 hrs