Trump Gets Bored Receiving Praise for His Vaccine Comments, Drops Statement Attacking ‘Wacko Bette Midler’

Getty Images. Pete Marovich for The New York Times.

Former President Donald Trump was widely praised — including by some of his most vocal critics — for comments he made about the Covid-19 vaccines during an interview with The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens, but instead of basking in the glow of bipartisan commendations, he took a swipe at “Wacko Bette Midler” in a statement released on his website.

Trump and Owens spent a significant portion of the interview pushing various conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. But when the issue of vaccines came up, Trump was steadfast in touting their efficacy — even as Owens repeatedly attempted to promote misinformation.

The former president had revealed that he was not only fully vaccinated, but had received a booster shot as well, at an event last weekend with Bill O’Reilly. Speaking with Owens, Trump took credit for the vaccines as “one of the greatest achievements of mankind” and broadly lauded their ability to save lives, even as she attempted to argue more people were dying with vaccines.

“The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine,” he said. “But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected.”

“Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it’s a very minor form,” he continued. “People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.”

Trump’s comments surprised many, and unleashed a torrent of praise on social media. “Didn’t think I’d ever say this but good for Trump,” was a common sentiment.

Meanwhile, Midler was slammed on Twitter after she criticized West Virginia as “[p]oor, illiterate and strung out” in a tweet she posted on Monday blasting Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) for his opposition to the Build Back Better Act.

Trump hadn’t replied to that particular Midler tweet until Thursday, but as the hours of praise for his steadfastly logical comments began to wear thin, he reverted back to form with a “Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America” posted on his website, his main form of communication since getting kicked off Twitter.

“Wacko Bette Midler said horrible things about the great people of West Virginia and Joe Manchin,” Trump wrote, “but when I say much less offensive things about her, everybody goes wild. Don’t worry, I’ll tell the real facts about her in my book. I love you, West Virginia!”

Trump’s anti-Midler rant was shortly followed by another statement urging that “[t]he people being persecuted by the January 6th Unselect Committee should simply tell the truth, that they are angry about the RIGGED Presidential Election of 2020.”

So far, Midler has not replied to the former president on her Twitter account.