National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday on CNN’s “New Day” that while in office, former President Donald Trump poisoned the well on vaccines, which he argued had a “lingering effect.”
Guest-host Kaitlan Collins said, “You are an adviser to President Biden now, of course. You previously were an adviser when it came to President Trump when he was in office at the beginning of this pandemic, and you’ve seen surely by now this exchange that he had with Candace Owens talking about the truth on vaccines and boosters and how it can keep people out of the hospital from dying. I’m wondering what you made of that, given it’s been this right-wing backlash ever since the former president made those comments?”
Fauci said, “Well, I mean, I’m glad that the former President Trump is now talking about why it’s important to get vaccinated. I was stunned by the fact that’s doing that, and he’s getting booed in some places for doing that, which means that you know, poisoning the well early on about, either not being enthusiastic or outright not pushing vaccines and discouraging vaccines now has the lingering effect. And even when you come out and say go get vaccinated, some of the people that have been following his every word and what he does are now pushing back and not listening, which really tells you the strength of the divisiveness in our society, which I’ve always said to me is the biggest stumbling block about getting this pandemic under control.”
He added, “It really is no place for divisiveness politically when you have a classical historical unprecedented pandemic. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
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