Jen Psaki Mocks Trump Over Help with Republican Vaccine Phobia: Other Presidents Didn’t Need ‘Engraved Invitation’

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mocked the idea that President Joe Biden should ask former President Donald Trump to help overcome Republican hesitancy to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

As she briefed reporters Monday, Psaki fielded several questions about recent polling that shows almost half of Trump supporters say they won’t get vaccinated. Psaki has previously conceded that the Biden administration may not be the most “effective messenger” for Trump supporters, and during Monday’s briefing said that “we are focused on earned media and establishing partnerships with trusted messengers” like evangelical leaders and others.

One reporter resurrected the idea of enlisting Trump, and while Psaki said they would “support” a change of heart on the subject, she was unenthusiastic about the prospect of reaching out:

Q: And Dr. Fauci said recently that former President Trump getting involved in this would be a game changer for encouraging Republicans to take the vaccine. Do you guys agree? And does President Biden want to see Trump get involved in this messaging?

PSAKI: Well, if former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the campaign — of the vaccine, certainly we’d support that. But also, I think what’s important to note is that, as I noted, 81 percent of Republicans said they would trust their own doctor or healthcare provider, and that’s an important place to invest.

Every other living former President — or most of them, if not all of them — 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. But there are a lot of different ways to engage, to reach out, to ensure that people of a range of political support and backing know the vaccine is safe and — safe and effective.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Chris Wallace that “it would make all the difference in the world” and “would really be a game changer” if Trump were to publicly advocate vaccinations.

Watch the clip above via C-Span.