Here we go again. Trump first started spreading confusion and creating chaos amongst people when he claimed that the vaccines are poison. But, this time he took the poison for himself. Reports suggest that Trump got privately jabbed before leaving the White House.
He was in an arena tour with ex-Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly when he announced to the public that he got the booster shot. Well, the move is contradictory to his beliefs and the announcement was booed by the audience. According to him, the covid shot is a part of his administration policy. Wow.
He said, “We got a vaccine done. Take credit for it. Don’t let them take it away, don’t take it away from ourselves. You’re playing right into their hands.” He was proudly advertising how millions of lives have been saved by the vaccine.
In Summer, Trump dismissed the idea of a third shot and claimed it to be a “money-making operation for Pfizer”. This idea completely went in sync with his followers and the anti-vaxxers in general, who have long claimed that Big Pharma was hogging huge amounts of profits by pushing these vaccines which apparently poisons the people. There’s no evidence suggesting that the vaccine is a poison.
Hypocrisy at its peak. The reactions by the audience were received by Trump with a mix of anger and confusion. His excuses and pure denial weren’t enough to subside the crowd; it was as if he didn’t say anything about the vaccine.
After this inconsistency from Trump, editorial cartoonist Ben Garrison’s latest cartoon opus showed Trump riding aboard the “Big Pharma Vaccine Bandwagon”, as he is booed by the crowd.
Lin Wood, a high-profile, right-wing attorney, who played a major role in legal campaigns to overturn the 2020 elections took to Telegram after Trump’s announcement. He calls himself a “public advocate” against covid jabs and told his followers to hold firing on Trump for recommending the vaccine. “I believe We The People should wait until all the facts are known before passing judgment on the President’s wartime strategy and the tactics designed to achieve victory.” He has widely advertised QAnon views and well, they will hold their fires now because Anons have overlooked facts or logic that didn’t fit with their worldly views. They have long called for trusting some long-term “plans” whose logic couldn’t be known at the moment.
After Trump’s announcement, Wood still did not stop defending him. “You don’t have to agree with every statement President Trump makes or position he takes…. Judge the entire body of President Trump’s world as president… He loves America, freedom, and We the People.”
Some other ridiculous claims came from other anti-vaxxers, for example, General Michael Flynn Trump’s former national security adviser, said on Telegram the day before Trump’s announcement, “The vaccine doesn’t appear to work to prevent this covid madness, it appears to be causing it.”
He ignored Trump’s endorsement completely and later linked a “news” item which allegedly said Bill Gates and Tony Fauci had been charged with genocide in a filing before the International Criminal Court. While some anti-vax leaders and MAGA completely ignored, excused, or dismissed Trump’s advertisement, some far-right members weren’t ready to forgive or forget.
A popular Telegram channel dedicated to controversial media and uncensored views read, “How quickly ‘Trumpers’ and liberal-conservatives forget that this entire COVID debacle, including vaccines and mass vaccination, was initiated and promoted under Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s watch.”
InfoWars Alex Jones also lashed out on Trump for abandoning the fight against vaccines. He said, “Hell, we’re out here fighting Bill Gates and Fauci and Biden and the New World Order and now we’ve got Trump on their team!”