It’s mid-August 2021, we’ve had free and accessible Covid vaccines for months and people are still dying and people are still filling up hospitals. Those people are overwhelmingly unvaccinated. Many of them are unvaccinated by choice, because their orange trash god hasn’t told them that vaccines are safe, effective and necessary. The Daily Beast had a story on Friday about the decision-making behind Donald Trump’s refusal to advocate for vaccines with his millions of white supremacist followers. Apparently, many Trump loyalists have even made special one-on-one pleas to Trump to tell his MAGA army to get vaxxed and he’s still refused:
Trump isn’t interested: When asked why Trump hadn’t done more on vaccines, Stephen Moore—who previously advised Trump on economic and coronavirus-related policy—said he didn’t have a “good answer for that.” Moore, a former top Trump surrogate, said that after he published an op-ed in The Hill late last month arguing that Trump should give a national primetime address with President Joe Biden urging his supporters and voters to get the shot, “especially because of the Delta variant,” Moore made sure to send the article to the former president.
They’re giving Trump a buffet of choices: Some have suggested teaming up with the Bidens, while others have told the former president that it would be an awful idea, both on pragmatic and political levels. Several have suggested Donald and Melania Trump star in public service announcements and others videos, such as those featuring highly visible conservative influencers. Others have pitched the former president on dedicating entire interviews and whole speeches to the topic, making appearances at related venues with doctors, prominent Republicans, or pro-vaccine evangelical leaders. Some have recommended that Trump welcome vaccination drives at his ongoing series of political rallies, while some have kept their proposals as simple as telling Trump that his office and political operation should blast out reminders to get people and their families vaccinated against COVID-19.
Why Trump refuses to advocate for vaccines: According to two of the sources who have spoken to Trump about this, he has occasionally referenced polling and other indicators—such as what he’s seen on TV—that show how the vaccines are unpopular with many of his supporters. This has left the impression with some of those close to Trump that he doesn’t want to push too hard on the subject, so as to not “piss off his base,” one of the two people said.
Trump won’t do “favors” for Biden: At other times in recent months, Trump has simply said he doesn’t feel he needs to do any “favors” for Biden, given how much Biden is “destroying” the country—and that if Biden wants to ask him to do something, the sitting president is welcome to ask, the sources recounted.
He’s trying to play both sides: Although Trump has told unvaccinated supporters to get their coronavirus shots during a handful of public appearances—campaign-style rallies, fundraisers, media interviews—he’s also qualified his endorsement of the vaccines by emphasizing that the “freedoms” not to get it are important, too. Trump even released a written statement last month sympathizing with anti-vaxxers because, according to Trump, “people are refusing to take the Vaccine because they don’t trust [Biden’s] Administration, they don’t trust the Election results, and they certainly don’t trust the Fake News, which is refusing to tell the Truth.”
I don’t think that Trump appearing with Biden would help out anyone or anything. Like, I don’t want that, Democrats don’t want that, Republicans don’t want that. It would be a mess. If Trump is going to say something, he should do it on his own terms. I know it’s crazy and stupid for me to, like, internet-advise this white supremacist, but I want everyone to get vaccinated too. I’m pro-whatever works. I think what would work is Trump sitting down on Fox News and simply giving a full-throated endorsement of vaccines in his own way. Perhaps with the argument that his followers should do whatever they can to make sure they vote for him again, as much as that makes me gag. Who would have thought that the Death Cult Party would turn into the party which embraced their own cult members’ deaths. I mean…
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Not enough of his supporters are not dying yet, he is still raking the money from the deplorables, as soon as the money start drying up he will change his tune.
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One of the two married, unvaccinated Trump supporters I know that came down with Covid two weeks ago just died. It is a death cult.
Just had the memorial service for my trump loving, unvaxxed brother this weekend.
The vast majority of our families are far-right, uber-conservative Christians. They flew in from all over the country, no one wore masks, most were unvaccinated.
FAFO…that’s all I have to say.
OMG I’m so sorry bella. I have a brother like this, and I would mourn and grieve if this happened. So I am sorry for your loss and also, sorry for what you have to deal with in that kind of family right now. It’s disastrous.
@bella I’m so sorry for what you are going through. Preventable tragedy is especially heart breaking.
Really sorry to hear this 🙁
I’m so sorry for your loss Bella.
This disgusting excuse for a human. Out of SPITE, he is okay with more Americans dying. HE is vaccinated, and still won’t do it.
I have been doing a good job of ignoring his existence for the most part since January, but this is infuriating.
I’m hoping for a massive law suit against Drumpf and Baby Jared, because they deliberately let the pandemic run wild when it was killing people from another political party. All they care about it their money and their power, and thus far, they haven’t lost any of that.
Uh, he was perfectly fine with the 500,000 that died on his watch, why would and why SHOULD he care about Americans dying on Biden’s watch?
Republicans don’t give enough of a shit to protect THEIR OWN CHILDREN. Innocent children are increasingly being infected and hospitalized and DYING because their parents belong to a fucking death cult. I don’t know how you get through to these backwards, selfish assholes. Maybe just have Trump hold a massive rally in Florida or Texas, and tell all his worshipers it’s a mandatory pilgrimage, like going to Mecca. We’ll airlift the good people out, then put a giant bubble over the entire state and just let them destroy themselves while the rest of us get on with being, like, you know, an actual functioning democracy.
My adult life as a watcher of politics has been marked by two presidential elections where I was yelling to any Democrat who would listen that even if you didn’t like the Democratic nominee, it would be dangerous not to vote for them because the Republican nominee was going to do things that would devastate the U.S. and many other countries and would take decades to recover from, if ever. As I see what’s happening here with COVID and what’s happening in Afghanistan, all I can do is shake my head. Meanwhile Trump and Bush II are sitting comfortably living the good life. SMH.
Yes, same Sid. I have played out so many scenarios in my head, and I still conclude that 2000, not 2016 was the most important election of my life. Even though it was 2016 that broke my heart into pieces. If only the Gore win had stuck, if only we hadn’t allowed Bush to steal it, there would have been no Iraq, maybe Gore would have pulled out of Afghanistan or had a more limited mission early on, there would have been no right wing supreme court. There would have not been a President Obama in 08, IMO (to be clear just my opinion), and without a President Obama, again IMO, there is no Trump. Do we get a 2nd President Clinton? I can’t game theory that far out. Maybe, maybe not, but at that point it becomes irrelevant.
Darla, I do the same thing with scenarios. I think about where we might be on climate change if Gore had won out. I didn’t and don’t fool myself into thinking he was some saint who had no corporate interests, but it was a topic he was interested in and I think he at least would have made an effort on it. So many what ifs…
I wrote something similar on a separate post this morning. I think about this a lot. I’ve had the privilege of meeting Gore a few times and he struck me as such a decent, not wooden at all, guy, thoughtful, smart, dedicated to good…but maybe too decent in giving up in 2000. How played the Dems were then… Who knew just how bad it could get — 9/11 might not have happened at all on his watch, then the war in Iraq, not to mention the whole “homeland security” plus climate change, 2008, etc. The Bushes were so oil and finance embedded and Cheney needed a war to profit from, I think really that admin was far worse than we can even fathom, Michelle Obama friendship and cute painting hobby aside. It’s like Hannah Arendt said — the banality of evil…
My biggest fear is Trump might win in 24.
I thought he’d be dead by then but then I gave up all hope and I now live in a post-hope matrix.
This has literally kept me up at night.
Lol Darla! I have been waiting 5 f’ing years for it to happen and he just keeps on living. COVID didn’t get him. All the drugs and cheeseburgers somehow hasn’t caused his heart to explode. This ahole is going to live to be 105. It’s infuriating!
@Ann, same. And I often think that if Covid had gotten him so many would have lived that died. And if he had been anyone else in the country, anyone else, it would have gotten him because he had a very serious case, but he got all the meds and interventions and that’s really when I stopped believing in God. Because how could such a thing happen?
Same here Smile. Same.
I can’t wrap my head around that. Cannot imagine the world in that scenario. But I never thought he’d be the nominee, much less the president, the first time.
A bigger, looming fear among US friends is the Republicans winning the midterms in a walk. Jerrymandering, voting restrictions, handing control of elections to partisan groups, they’ve got it all sewn up.
Was out scolloping this weekend off the west coast of Florida… nothing but “trump/desantis 2024” flags. Get worried
Was out scalloping this weekend off the west coast of Florida… nothing but “trump/desantis 2024” flags. Get worried
So instead he’s going to kill of his base? Seems smart.
Sad thing is, that would be his sole positive contribution to the world. And even that is rather outweighed by the innocent, socially responsible people he’s also killed.
I’m a broadcast journalist, and the previous four years have been difficult to watch. But THIS is where misinformation, distrust of experts, distrust of journalism can literally be deadly. It’s so frustrating and disheartening to watch.
I feel for you. The rest of us can tune out for a few days but news professionals have to keep up.
Trump is a whiny little bitch.
This tracks. At least he’s consistent. lol.
If the branded the vaccine with his name and got a commission for each shot, he’d be all over it. Grifting is his brand.
@vegas, you are 100% correct about that.
I really wish they’d done that. Democrats would get the vaccine regardless. Let it be the Trump vaccine.
Just more proof that tribalism is a mind virus that makes people irrational.
4 out of 7 classes at my son’s daycarel is out for the next 14 days because 2 kiddos got covid (they are good and recovering at home thank goodness). public school starts on Wednesday and I’m terrified for the big kids. Our city pediatric ICU is full.
At this point I don’t care about people’s reasons or who tells them to do it-GET VACCINATED and mask up. I don’t care if trump told you to, or OAN, or if you had a magical angel appear in your dreams. If not for yourself for little kids.
It has zero to do with playing both sides and absolutely everything to do with trying to torpedo the Bidens and any perceived enemies at literally any cost. This has been his MO his entire life, it was a hallmark of his presidency and it isn’t going to change now because behaving like a giant, spiteful, spoiled child has gotten him everything he’s every wanted and at almost no cost to himself (I still don’t really believe he or anyone at a high level in his administration will ever see jail time).
So yeah, this is no surprise – although you can bet he and all of his fellow death cultists are vaxxed and probably don’t allow the unvaxxed within any real proximity of themselves no matter what hypocritical bullshit they say to the contrary.
This clown said joining the military was for losers. He’s not doing anything he doesn’t make money off of.
“. . .according to Trump, “people are refusing to take the Vaccine because they don’t trust [Biden’s] Administration, they don’t trust the Election results, and they certainly don’t trust the Fake News, which is refusing to tell the Truth.” ” . So if they still trust Trump and because the vaccine was developed under his presidency shouldn’t they be getting the vaccine for that reason alone?
They don’t like the election results so they are inviting a deadly disease? That’ll show ’em!
There are zero pediatric ICU beds in North Texas, and around 300 adult ones for the whole state. Abbott just got the Texas Supreme Court to uphold his anti mask mandate and my young kids start school tomorrow. Somehow we’re in a worse position than 2020.
Trump and Abbott and DeSantis have blood on their hands. And this has made me want to leave Texas, my home for my whole life. There’s nowhere that seems particularly better, but I’m so disappointed.
I’m so sorry, I worry so much about the kids.
Another Texan here that’s going to leave as soon as I can. A family member just moved to France and I’m even looking at that. Life’s too short to let Republicans kill you.
If you have a higher degree in a desired field, you have possible French citizenship in three years. Not a bad option.
When I heard that judge in Dallas tell everyone that they will have to wait for a child to die for their own child to get an ICU bed, my jaw hit the floor. Brutal and shocking. So sad. Does Abbott just want everyone to die? This doubling-down and refusal to admit being wrong is getting people killed!
We could use more Democrats in New Mexico, especially Otero County.
Dear Mr. Trump,
How is advocating for vaccines and consequently helping your countrymen in staying safe from the virus is doing favor for Biden? Shouldn’t protecting your vote bank be your priority? But then the most important question is why do our elected leaders loose almost all of their common sense once they are elected?
A confused earthling
The man hates his own supporters. It’s been clear forever – these are not the people who he respects or wants to protect. He’ll accept their love and worship and money, because he feels that’s his due but he thinks they’re idiots if they don’t get vaccinated. And on some level, he feels they’re responsible for his loss – because everyone else is responsible for his loss, not him. So he doesn’t care if they live or get sick. Add in the fact that promoting vaccinations will “help” Biden’s aims.. yeah, he’ll never do it unless they pay him.
What’s the price to get him out of the country for good? I would want us to pay it.
He and his grifter family made billions off their four years in office. That should be more than enough payment, but I’d rather see them stripped of every penny and rotting in prison the rest of their days.
One problem with allowing him a public platform to urge his followers to take the vaccine is that he can barely manage to give a prepared message (those always look and sound like hostage videos) and, if he doesn’t have prepared remarks, he’ll use the platform to do one of his fascist rants and will absolutely undermine the vaccine out of one corner of his mouth while saying people should get it out the other.
Oof. When will the politicization of COVID stop? Also, why is ANYONE continuing to give Trump attention?
I just ratted out some of my co-workers for not following our office protocol of wearing masks if you’re not vaccinated. They aren’t vaccinated and are not wearing masks. At this point I don’t even care if they find out it was me. I am sick of this crap.
good for you. our office has a similar policy, if you’re not vaxxed you need to wear your mask when not at your desk.
we have one trumphumper on staff who REFUSES to get vaccinated and he walks around without a mask on. several people have complained and admin says they won’t do anything about it. it INFURIATES me.
Good for you. I had one co-worker last year who quietly refused to mask. He dodged bosses and hid out. People flat out told him to stay away from them. He died mysteriously last November. I asked the boss if we needed to quarantine and he was shocked ‘no one said he had covid’. I’ll never know if he did or not but the rest of us masked and no one else got it at the time.
He never really advocated for them, just took credit that didn’t belong to him for their creation.
His supporters are dying in droves and the red states are on fire with the virus so I don’t see how this is going to help the GOP. Every day there is some story about some high profile magat that condemned the masks/vaccine, covid paid them a visit and now they are on a ventilator or are six feet under. Last story I read was about a anti vax cardinal on a ventilator. I am the point where it has stripped my empathy so far back I can proudly say I’m out of bleeps to give. I’m angry with these people because this virus is going to have no end due to their selfishness.
Please, let’s never discuss this disgusting family again. The worst, most insulting & appropriate thing to happen to them is to be ignored for the rest of their grubby little lives (which will hopefully be lived behind bars).
I lost a Trumper brother-in-law to Covid. It was pre vaccine but they live in Florida didn’t change their behavior at all. Went everywhere etc.
I can’t feel bad for people who are perfectly fine with exposing others to a deadly virus. If they are too stupid to get vaccinated and it turns out poorly that’s on them. They certainly don’t care about protecting you so I can’t waste any energy on them. I only feel bad for kids under 12 who can’t get the vaccine and the immuno compromised who either can’t get the vaccine or it won’t work.
No, dumbass. It’s for the American people. You know, your stooges, the little people, the victims of your lying grifts.