Former President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine, before noting each person has the freedom to decide.
“You know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. I do,” Trump said during a rally on Saturday in Alabama. “You’ve got to do what you have to do.”
However, he then added, “But I recommend, take the vaccines. I did it. It’s good. Take the vaccine.”
When the crowd began to boo, the former president said, “No, that’s OK. That’s alright.” He continued:
“You’ve got your freedoms, but I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn’t work, you’ll be the first to know, OK? I’ll call up Alabama. I’ll say, ‘Hey, you know what?’ But it is working. But you do have your freedoms. You have to keep — you have to maintain that.”
See Trump’s comments below:
Trump advises his audience in Alabama to take the Covid vaccine pic.twitter.com/aaxQfnnxoh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 22, 2021
Trump previously advocated for Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In March, he said during a Fox News interview, “I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly.”
He added, “But, you know, again, we have our freedoms, and we have to live by that, and I agree with that also.”
The former president and former First Lady Melania Trump received the COVID-19 vaccine in January while still at the White House. It was not reported on until March.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 51.5% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, as of Sunday.
Republicans are among those who are the most skeptical about the vaccine, according to polls.
A CBS News poll conducted July 14-17 showed 29% of Republicans saying they will not get the vaccine while 6% of Democrats said the same.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization for three COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States. Full approval by the FDA is reportedly expected for Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine soon.
