Joe Biden Says He Doesn’t Trust Trump But ‘If Fauci Says a Vaccine Is Safe, I’d Take the Vaccine’
Former Vice President Joe Biden made it clear he trusts science — not President Donald Trump — when it comes to a coronavirus vaccine, saying “If [Dr. Anthony] Fauci says a vaccine is safe, I’d take the vaccine.”
At Thursday night’s drive-up CNN town hall event, a teacher named Joe Vadala asked Biden about mandating a coronavirus vaccine for public school students.
“I am a high school teacher who has multiple sclerosis. I’m on a drug that has compromised my immune system,” Vadala said, and asked, “will you and your administration mandate the vaccine to be taken like the MMR to enter school when it becomes safe and available to the public? Because I love teaching, but I don’t want to die and have my wife lose another best friend like how she lost her mother to COVID-19.”
Biden expressed sympathy for the man, then replied, “Joe, look — first of all, I don’t trust the president on vaccines. I trust Dr. Fauci. If Fauci says a vaccine is safe, I’d take the vaccine,” then added, “we should listen to the scientists, not to the president.”
He then delivered a lengthy response about measures to keep teachers and students safe, but demurred on the issue of a mandate because “It depends on the state of the vaccine.”
“I’ve been briefed by seven of the leading folks in the nation as of two days ago, and there’s variations,” Biden explained. “Some of the — they’re arguing it could take care of an increase by 40 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent that you won’t get the COVID virus, but no guarantee. We have to see.”
“And, by the way, with regard to children — I should have said this — there have been no tests on the vaccine on children yet. No child test has been done yet,” Biden continued. “So I wouldn’t mandate that children have to take a vaccine until they do that. And they’re telling me that won’t happen and be able to happen with — by — by the numbers until sometime in the middle of 2021.”
Biden also praised CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield when moderator Anderson Cooper asked “You said you trust Fauci. Do you trust the current head of the FDA, the current head of the FDA, the current head of the CDC? And would you keep them in their positions?”
“Well, it’s premature for me to say that. All I know is that the rank-and-file people, the scientists in each of those agencies are solid, and they’re serious,” Biden said. “But you’ve seen how the president has tried to push things through and put a lot of pressure on them.”
“I’m impressed by the head of the CDC now standing up and saying, Mr. President, wearing this mask — wearing this mask is going to save more lives than the vaccine between now and the end of the year,” Biden added.
Biden’s skepticism is also reflected in most recent polling, which shows even Republicans are skeptical of any vaccine that is rushed out by Election Day.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
