A Democratic governor gave rare credit to President Trump on Sunday for the expedited development of coronavirus vaccines and new therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was asked by Fox News' Bret Baier if he was willing to give credit to the president for the quick development of therapeutics and vaccines that have arrived far sooner than anticipated and are expected to be available in just a matter of weeks.
"So do you governor give credit to the Trump administration for where we are on that front?" asked Baier.
"I do. Period," Gov. Murphy said flatly. "I was on privately with Vice President Pence just before Thanksgiving and said so. We're on calls regularly with the White House. We got one tomorrow. In addition to [Health and Human Serives] Secretary Azar, you've got the likes of Tony Fauci -- General Guss Perna, New Jersey's own, who's overseeing the distribution -- Stephen Hahn and others. I also give the private sectors a lot of credit, and I give decades of investment in public health a lot of credit."
Now that the election is over, Democrats can go back to marveling over the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Months before the election, Democratic governors couldn't help but praise the Trump administration for their response to the coronavirus pandemic. But then the virus was weaponized against the president, and Democrats like Gov. Cuomo (NY) who sent covid patients into nursing homes could suddenly do no wrong but everything Trump and his administration did was "reckless" and out of step with the "experts."
The Democrats' original plan for fighting the Wuhan coronavirus was to shut down the economy, close the schools, and have everybody else hide in a hole (or a basement) until the virus petered itself out, while they themselves ventured out to get their hair done and go about life as usual.
Uncontent to wait around, President Trump and his administration launched Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership in late April with the goal of fast-tracking the development of vaccines and other therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19.
And now Pfizer, who has produced a vaccine with a 95 percent efficacy rate, has requested emergency use authorization from the FDA. Drugmaker Moderna isn't too far behind with a vaccine showing a 94-percent effectiveness rate against the virus. And a third vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca, is up to 90 percent effective against COVID-19.
The Trump administration has also prepared states for quick distribution of a vaccine as soon as one receives approval from the FDA.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield predicted last week that a vaccine will be rolled out around the second week of December. The director said first in line to receive the vaccine will likely be patients in nursing homes, health care providers, and individuals considered to be at high risk for serious illness.