Trump Contradicts CDC Chief Saying Vaccine Won’t Be Widely Available Until Late 2021: ‘He Was Confused… Mistaken’
Earlier Wednesday, CDC director Robert Redfield said during his congressional testimony that a coronavirus vaccine will come out “in very limited supply” in November-December and will be “generally available to the American public” by “late second quarter, third quarter 2021.”
Sen. Kennedy: When do you think we'll have a vaccine ready for the public?
CDC Dir. Redfield: Vaccine initially available in Nov.-Dec. but in “very limited supply.” If asking when is it going to be generally available to the American public, you’re looking at late Q2-Q3 2021. pic.twitter.com/AopPUTsd9K
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 16, 2020
Hours later, at President Donald Trump’s press conference, he threw the CDC chief under the bus and contradicted what he said:
“I think he made a mistake when he said that. It’s just incorrect information. I called him and he didn’t tell me that, and I think he got the message maybe confused. Maybe it was stated incorrectly. No, we’re ready to go immediately as the vaccine is announced. It could be announced in October, it could be announced a little bit after October. Once we go, we’re ready.”
“He was pretty clear,” Fox News’ John Roberts followed up.
“I don’t think he means that. When he said it, I believe he was confused. I am just telling you we are ready to go as soon as the vaccine happens,” the president said. “I think he misunderstood the question, probably.”
Roberts asked him for a timeline on when every person in America would be able to get a vaccine.
“I think it would be very soon. I think our distribution process is going to go very quickly,” Trump responded.
You can watch above, via Fox News.
