President Joe Biden's declaration Thursday that the unvaccinated would have to continue wearing masks didn't sit well with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who made it abundantly clear that such an "ultimatum" was not "within his powers to demand."
Biden, responding to the Centers for Disease Control's announcement Thursday that vaccinated individuals would no longer need to mask up even in indoor settings, tweeted what he considered a "simple" choice for Americans.
"The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do," Biden (or whoever handles his social media account) wrote. "The choice is yours."
The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 13, 2021
The choice is yours.
The president's approach drew plenty of negative reaction on Twitter, as documented here by Twitchy, and Fox News host Brian Kilmeade asked Tucker for his thoughts during Thursday night's edition of "Fox News Primetime."
Tucker Carlson: "You can’t simultaneously say that the vaccine is very effective ... and yet at the same time say that once you have been vaccinated, you are very concerned that you might be infected by people around you who are not wearing masks." pic.twitter.com/kdLXao60tl
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) May 14, 2021
"Well, it’s not a request, it's a demand, and the president of the United States does not get to tell me or any other American citizen what to wear.," Carlson said. "He's not offering a choice. He's laying down an ultimatum. He's saying if you don't get vaccinated, you must wear a mask. Again, that's not within his powers to demand."
The Fox News host also questioned the logic behind the push to vaccinate everyone despite the fact that those who are vaccinated should be protected, IF the vaccines work as advertised.
Well, I’m just confused by the reaction because it’s not rational and, you know, I don’t want to accuse anyone else of having mental illness or emotional problems but these people are not thinking as scientists think. So you can’t simultaneously say that the vaccine is very effective and by the way, I see no reason to doubt that claim. It seems very effective - and, yet, at the same time say that once you have been vaccinated you are very concerned that you might be infected by people around you who are not wearing masks. That leaves a couple questions unanswered. The first that’s never asked, which is how exactly do we know that masks are very effective in preventing the transmission of Covid-19. I don’t think that we do know that and if we do, I would love to see the study that shows that. But more to the point, if you've been vaccinated, why are you concerned that you’re going to be infected by someone who is not wearing a mask? It doesn’t make any sense. You clearly don’t think the vaccine works if you're worried about that.