Trump Called Out By His Former HHS Secretary Alex Azar For Not Getting Vaccinated on TV

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Former HHS Secretary Alex Azar called out his old boss, former President Donald Trump, in an opinion piece published Tuesday in the New York Times.

The column is somewhat self-serving, as it is titled “I Was the Architect of Operation Warp Speed. I Have a Message for All Americans.” The message of course is that everyone should get the Covid-19 vaccine to help abate the spread of the potentially deadly contagion.

Former Secretary Azar spends a fair amount of time praising the efficacy of the vaccine, particularly as the delta variant of Covid-19 spreads, causing spikes in some states with large populations of unvaccinated. He then admits that he did not foresee the politicization of the vaccine, particularly among his fellow Republicans:

But we did not predict the politicization of vaccines that has led so many Republicans to hold back. As of mid-July, 43 percent of Republicans said that they have not been vaccinated and definitely or probably wouldn’t be, versus 10 percent of Democrats, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. I’m glad former President Trump got vaccinated, but it would have been even better for him to have done so on national television so that his supporters could see how much trust and confidence he has in what is arguably one of his greatest accomplishmen

Some may find Azar’s surprise of politics interfering with vaccinations surprising, given how conservative media largely followed the lead of former President Trump in dismissing the pathogen in its earliest days, and overtly politicizing mitigation mandates such as mask requirements and shelter at home orders.

Azar’s calling out of Trump’s private vaccination is also notable. The former president was diagnosed with Covid in October of 2020, and later touted the fact that he was immune.

In March it was revealed that Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump were privately vaccinated at Mar-a-Lago, an event that likely would have had a big impact on vaccination rates amid the vaccine-hesitant if it were done publicly. Many of those resistant to inoculation fit a similar political psychographic profile to the Trump base of supporters.  By comparison, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both had their vaccine shots done while national cameras were rolling.

In his statement in late July, Trump stirred up even more vaccine hesitancy, saying in a statement, “Joe Biden kept talking about how good of a job he’s doing on the distribution of the Vaccine that was developed by Operation Warp Speed or, quite simply, the Trump Administration. He’s not doing well at all. He’s way behind schedule.” The former president then went on to say that people “are refusing to take the Vaccine because they don’t trust his Administration, they don’t trust the Election results, and they certainly don’t trust the Fake News, which is refusing to tell the Truth.”

Azar also called upon GOP party leaders and conservatives to use vaccines as a “victory lap”:

The vaccines could be a victory lap for the Republican Party, and I call upon all party leaders and conservatives to double down on encouraging vaccination. Party leaders like Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida are making clear that vaccines save lives. Sean Hannity of Fox News is now telling viewers to “please take Covid seriously.” Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana shared a photo of himself recently getting vaccinated. I urge more of this from trusted voices on the right.

While Azar’s intentions are clear, the call for a political “victory lap” in the same column that laments the over politicization of such a dire public health effort is a curious one.

Read the entire column at the New York Times.