‘MUST TELL THE TRUTH’: Trump Explains Position on Covid Vaccines in Handwritten Message to Maggie Haberman
Former President Donald Trump has explained the political calculus behind his announcement that he has been fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus.
There has been a great deal of media commotion over Trump’s “History Tour” event with Bill O’Reilly where he and the former Fox News host both revealed that they were inoculated for Covid 3 times. Trump also urged his supporters to stop sneering at vaccines during that event, so political observers are expressing hope that his plea will lead to more people getting their shots while Covid case numbers are rising.
Haberman reacted to Trump’s booster announcement on Twitter, calling it an “interesting moment” since “some around Trump are now mocking the booster campaign.” Given that Trump previously suggested that he wouldn’t get a third shot for Covid, Haberman announced that she reached out to his people and asked why he changed his message while he was on stage with O’Reilly
“He replied with a handwritten note beginning, ‘Must tell the truth,’ those words underlined, then ‘and very proud to have produced the three vaccines so quickly,'” Haberman tweeted. “‘Millions of lives saved worldwide.'”
2/2 and “millions of lives saved worldwide.”
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 20, 2021
KCRW’s Josh Barro asked Haberman for a picture of the note, and she obliged:
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 20, 2021
As Trump chastised people in the crowd who booed his booster announcement, he suggested that his supporters change their message in order to “take credit” for the vaccines developed under Operation Warp Speed.
“What we’ve done is historic,” Trump said. “Don’t take it away from ourselves. You are playing right into their hands when you’re sort of like ‘oh the vaccine…’”
