WATCH: Jen Psaki Praises Trump for ‘Good Message’ on Boosters, Adds That Doesn’t Mean We Won’t ‘Call Out Misinformation’
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki praised former President Donald Trump for sending a “good message” about Covid boosters, but added that the administration will still call out misinformation when they see it.
Psaki held a briefing with reporters on Wednesday, during which the subject of President Joe Biden’s speech on the Omicron-fueled covid surge came up.
NBC News’ Mike Memoli asked Psaki about Biden’s praise for Trump.
“We heard the president do something we don’t hear often yesterday, which is speak approvingly of his predecessor,” Memoli said, and summarized the president’s remarks, in which he not only praised Trump for publicly announcing he’d received a booster shot, but credited his administration for overseeing the development of the vaccines.
Memoli asked Psaki if this was an “attempt by the White House to speak to a population that maybe hasn’t been listening to this president as it relates to COVID?”
“Well, I think it was an acknowledgment that the former president sends an important signal to many Americans about the importance of getting boosted,” Psaki said, adding that “we can’t assess what that will mean or how people will digest that, or if it will change their behavior if they were opposed to getting boosted or opposed to getting vaccinated.”
“We certainly hope so, and I think it’s a reflection of the president’s belief that the enemy of the American people is the virus, and there shouldn’t be a political battle,” Psaki said.
“Now, it doesn’t mean we are not going to call out misinformation, or steps or actions that are being taken by any leader, that we feel are detrimental to the health and well-being of communities around the country. But we can also call out actions that we think are positive and send a good message to people who may not be waiting for President Biden to tell them what to do,” Psaki concluded.
Trump told Fox News Tuesday night that Biden’s remarks surprised him, and that he found them to be a “healing” gesture.
Watch above via C-Span.
