Now that it's politically expedient for President Joe Biden to acknowledge the hand the Trump administration had in the vaccine, he's doing so. The tweet from the president's official account, however, does not mention former President Donald Trump or Operation Warp Speed by name.
The vaccine was developed and authorized under a Republican Administration, and it’s been distributed and administered under a Democratic one.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 30, 2021
The vaccines are safe, they are highly effective, and there’s nothing political about them.
The tweet comes as the Biden administration is ramping up efforts to get more Americans vaccinated.
The vaccine is indeed a brilliant development. Trump, both when he was the sitting president and now that he is the former president, has called it "a medical miracle," and that's not hyperbole. His administration brought about the vaccine in record time, in a matter of months when the doubting media scoffed and claimed it would take years.
Further, then Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris dismissed that the vaccine would be made available during the Trump administration and said she would not take it if Trump said to take it. She went on to get publicly vaccinated when she was the Vice President-elect, though.
Jordan Lancaster did an analysis for The Daily Caller listing many more examples.
In May, Trump was criticized for an official statement he made where he asked for "Just a mention please!"
As Guy highlighted, last week Sarah Huckabee Sanders encouraged Arkansans to get vaccinated in an op-ed for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "The reasoning behind getting vaccinated." Many focused on the fact that she referred to it as the "Trump vaccine."
In his address to the nation on the anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the Wuhan coronavirus a pandemic, President Biden memorably left out mention of Trump's role in the vaccine.
While Biden has acknowledged before how "the vaccine was developed and authorized under a Republican Administration," it appears to come at certain specific moments, when attempting to push more Americans to get vaccinated.
Republican and Democratic figures alike have promoted the vaccines as safe and effective, as have many of Fox News hosts recently.
That being said, President Biden and Vice President Harris, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been criticized, most memorably by Sen. Rand Paul, who is also a medical doctor.for appearing in public double masked, despite being fully vaccinated.
Americans have also criticized the Biden administration and the CDC for how they've gone about promoting the vaccine.
The CDC, White House, and media have been their own worst enemies when it comes to addressing COVID-19. By frequently mischaracterizing risk and probabilities—misusing data and ignoring knowledge in their policy recommendations—they’ve sown confusion and fueled vaccine hesitancy.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 31, 2021
The CDC has done more to fuel anti-vaxxers than anti-vaxxers have
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) July 28, 2021
For a White House obsessed with getting people vaccinated, they're doing a horrible job convincing the public that vaccines work.
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) July 27, 2021
And this is coming from someone who is vaccinated.
In a highly criticized tweet from the presidential account, Biden phrased it as an "either or."
The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 13, 2021
The choice is yours.
All of this comes as the Biden administration on Thursday mandated federal workers to get vaccinated or be subject to masks, social distancing, and regular testing. The CDC has also come under fire for their guidelines announced on Tuesday that teachers, students, and staff wear masks in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccine status. The guidelines also dictate that in certain so-called hotspots people go back to wearing masks, even if they are vaccinated.