Obama, Shaq, and Charles Barkley Tweet Video Message Encouraging Americans to Get The Covid-19 Vaccine

Sarah RumpfApr 18th, 2021, 8:12 pm
 
obama shaq barkley

Screenshot via Twitter.

Former President Barack Obama joined with former NBA stars Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley to share a video message encouraging Americans to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Barkley and O’Neal agreed with him, wrote Obama in a tweet with the video, that “we can all help end this pandemic by getting the COVID-19 vaccine,” which he described as “the only way to keep everyone safe and help us get back to all the things we miss most–from seeing family and friends to watching sports in person.”

O’Neal and Barkley began the video — along with a cameo from O’Neal’s mother, Lucille O’Neal — cracking a few jokes with each other, like how Barkley wearing a suit jacket made O’Neal, clad in a hoodie sweatshirt, look bad.

Obama then joined the video, seated in front of several bookshelves, which Barkley quipped the former president had probably read all the books, unlike his own shelves that were “just for show.”

“Listen, I appreciate you guys doing this,” said Obama. “You know, part of our goal here is to make sure that everybody who’s been going through so much in Covid understands the need and urgency of our communities getting vaccinated.”

The vaccine, Obama continued, would not just save lives, but “allow people to get their lives back to normal, and the sooner we get more people vaccinated, the better off we’re gonna be.”

Barkley said that he was scheduled to get his second vaccine shot on Monday. “I cannot wait.” O’Neal concurred, saying that he was already vaccinated and so was his family, out of concern for underlying health conditions they had.

“But I’m not worried about me or my family,” O’Neal said, “I’m worried about the average mom and dad.”

Obama urged young people to take the virus seriously and get the vaccine, especially considering a new variant of the virus that was spreading and “hitting young people harder,” plus the long term symptoms some people were suffering.

“And look, if the wealthy and powerful in our society are all lining up to get shots, that means everybody should know it’s a good thing to get,” said Obama.

All Americans 16 years of age or older are eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine starting Monday, April 19, and some states have already opened up eligibility. Information about how to obtain a vaccine in your state can be found on the CDC website.

Watch the video above, via Twitter.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.