Will Trump’s vaccine advocacy change?

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“The 360” shows you different perspectives on today’s top stories and debates.

What’s happening

On two occasions over the past few days, former President Donald Trump has made a strong endorsement of coronavirus vaccines, surprising political analysts already accustomed to his relative silence on the issue and angering some. to his anti-vaccine supporters.

The first endorsement came on Sunday, when Trump announced in an interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly that he had received his booster shot-a statement that sparked boos from a small number of audience members. A few days later, Trump became more forceful with his pro-vaccine statements while talking to conservative pundit Candace Owens.

“The vaccine is one of humanity’s greatest achievements,” he said. He also pushed when Owens asked how much protection vaccines provide. “The vaccine works. But some people don’t get it. Those who get seriously ill and are hospitalized are the ones who don’t take the vaccine.”

Trump, who contracted COVID-19 after underestimating the pandemic for months, reportedly put tremendous pressure on scientists to complete the development of vaccines at a very fast pace. But he speaks less in encouraging his supporters to take them than many health experts would. He was quietly vaccinated while still president, a fact not revealed until months after he left office. As a private citizen, he had only made a few pro-vaccine statements prior to his recent comments, and he had previously called the boosters a “money-making operation” by pharmaceutical companies. His latest comments include the caveat that he is “100% AGAINST” commands. He also has a history of advancing conspiracies linking autism vaccines.

Why there is a debate

Trump’s sudden embrace of the vaccine has raised two main areas of debate. The first and most important is whether his statements will encourage Republican voters to get vaccinated. The second is whether they will have any political impact.

The story continues

President Biden welcomed Trump’s comments, calling his support for the boosters “one of the few things he and I agreed on.” Some analysts and health experts believe Trump’s endorsement could make a measurable difference in GOP-based vaccination rates, which are more likely to be vaccinated than Democrats. Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the other hand, said Trump’s comments were late after “poisoning the well early” by expanding political divisions in COVID. That view was reinforced by a recent poll, in which nearly half of unvaccinated Americans said nothing could change their mind about the shots.

As far as the political impact, some analysts see signs that Trump’s pro-vaccine stance could hurt his support of groups that have previously been his staunch supporters. Some of the biggest names in the far -right media – including conspiracist radio host Alex Jones – have criticized Trump in response to his comments.

But some pollsters have suggested that coming out in favor of vaccines is actually a smart political play on Trump’s part. They point out that even though Republicans make up a large portion of the unvaccinated, the majority of GOP voters get shot. The strongest anti-vaccine sentiment may be held only by a smaller wing of the party, not by a broader base, they say.

What’s next

It won’t be clear for some time whether Trump’s statements have persuaded a large portion of his supporters to get vaccines. It also remains to be seen if Trump will continue to promote vaccines in the future, or if he will return to mostly avoiding the subject in the future.

Insights

Trump and Biden working together is a big win for the vaccine campaign

“I hope President Biden acknowledges that his rhetoric about an‘ unvaccinated winter of death ’is less convincing to Republican voters than anything the former president can say about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Honestly or not, both Biden and Trump are central to doing so. ” – Bethany Mandel, Deseret News

Trump has more power to influence GOP voters than any man

“He may not be advocating vaccines for the right reasons, but since he’s probably the single most influential person in America when it comes to convincing establishment-skeptical conservatives to get the jab, the consequences are worthwhile. benefits for our country. ” – Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC

Even Trump can’t change the minds of those skeptical of the vaccine

“Another angle of rhetoric and obvious self-serving, but if people are vaccinated, who will complain? The problem is that even a direct, firm call from Trump for his base to be vaccinated is unlikely to change many minds. – Philip Bump, Washington Post

Trump has done too much to undermine vaccine launch

“This is what Trump should be doing all the time. If he was willing to take his initial vaccinations to the public, or if he spent 2021 urging Republicans to do the same, it is possible many lives would have been saved. Will he be able to? Fox News did too much work to sow doubts about vaccines if Trump argued more strongly in their favor? Not likely. ” – Joel Mathis, The Sunday

Trump will need to mount a sustained pro-vaccine campaign to make a difference

“COVID vaccines are as Trumpian as medicine can be! This would be a perfect time for a formal campaign led by … hm, how about Trump? Such a message would come to an eighty of the unvaccinated “A publicity campaign led by Trump could encourage several million of his supporters that the vaccine is a universal drug, not Joe’s private-label tonic.” – Jack Shafer, Politico

Promoting vaccines is both the right thing to do and a smart political tactic

“72.5 percent of adults are fully vaccinated against the disease. Most people believe that vaccines are a very useful – if not foolproof – way to mitigate the consequences of ongoing Covid’s existence.Putting yourself on the other side of a 70–30 issue is never politically savvy, even if it is a moral necessity.In this case, political incentives are in line with morals and imperatives. ” – Isaac Schorr, National Analysis

Trump may not be able to recover from hurting his support to the far right

“For most of his presidency, it seems that American populism is whatever Trump has done. As recently as this year, the question of whether the movement could have existed without him has been forgiven. It is now clear that it can exist in active defiance of him.It has substance and momentum independent of any leadership. — Janan Ganesh, Financial Times

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Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Getty images (2)

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