‘Was It a Mistake?’ Jake Tapper Presses Fauci About Biden Jumping Ahead of FDA on Vaccine Boosters

Dr. Anthony Fauci defended President Joe Biden’s plan to authorize coronavirus vaccine booster shots for the broader population, as CNN’s Jake Tapper questioned the infectious disease expert on whether it was a “mistake” to step out ahead of the FDA and the CDC.

Fauci joined Tapper Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union to talk about Biden’s promotion of booster shots to the general public, two days after the FDA resoundingly rejected the president’s plan. When asked if it was a “mistake” for the FDA to disagree with him about the merits of public distribution, Fauci answered, “I don’t think they made a mistake, but the one thing I think people need to realize is that data are coming literally in on a daily and weekly basis, and the decision based on the data that was seen by the committee, was a decision that we’ve just mentioned.”

“They’re going to continue to look at this, literally in real time,” Fauci said. “More data will be coming in on both safety for younger individuals, efficacy, both from Israel, other countries, as well as our substantial cohorts, that the CDC is following. So the story is not over yet. I think people need to understand that. This is not the end of the story.”

The conversation focused on Fauci’s support for Biden on public booster shots, as well as his disagreements with the FDA over the continuing flow of booster data. Eventually, Tapper played footage of Biden in which the president previously said he was going to enact his booster plan with the FDA and CDC’s approval.

“This is causing more confusion,” Tapper said. “Was it a mistake for the president to announce this before the FDA and CDC issued their guidance?”

“I don’t think so,” Fauci answered. “The president was very clear, as was the medical group, when we said we are planning to do this. and it was always said, in his official statement, in the official written statement from all of us, including the FDA and the CDC, that was pending, and on the condition of the examination of all of the data by the FDA. It’s is understandable how there could have been confusion, but what we said was pretty clear.”

Watch above, via CNN.

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