Headline RoundupDecember 26th, 2021

Trump Strongly Endorses COVID-19 Vaccine During Candace Owens Interview

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Former President Donald Trump strongly endorsed the COVID-19 vaccine during an interview with Candace Owens that was released Tuesday.

After telling Bill O'Reilly that he received a booster shot, Trump hailed the vaccine as "one of the greatest achievements of mankind." When Owens claimed that COVID-19 cases have gone up during Biden's first year in office, Trump pushed back against any skepticism voiced by the conservative media host. "Oh, no. The vaccine worked," Trump said. "But some people aren't taking it. The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take the vaccine." While the former president said he disagrees with vaccine mandates for U.S. citizens and said "its still their choice" to get vaccinated, he said "if you take the vaccine, you're protected." 

Most outlets across the political spectrum saw Trump's shift in tone as "a good thing." Most right-rated outlets did not push back against Trump's stance on the COVID-19 vaccine, with some stating that "being inoculated against the virus significantly reduces the risk of severe illness and death." Some left-rated outlets said Trump's position "may not be enough to persuade the largely Republican-leaning group of holdouts who haven't yet gotten a shot." Research from Pew (Center bias) suggests that Americans who relied on Trump for COVID-19 news early in the pandemic are less likely to have been vaccinated against the virus.

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