Donald Trump’s own fans boo him after Covid vaccine revelation

Donald Trump received a less than favourable response from his fans after revealing a seemingly innocuous fact.

Former US president Donald Trump received a less than favourable response from a crowd of his own supporters after revealing he had received a Covid vaccine booster shot.

Mr Trump appeared at an event in Dallas, Texas alongside broadcaster Bill O’Reilly, sitting down on stage for an interview with the former Fox News host.

As the former president encouraged his supporters to get vaccinated against Covid, O’Reilly asked whether he’d received a third dose.

“Both the president and I are vaxxed. And did you get the booster?” asked O’Reilly.

“Yes,” said Mr Trump.

“I did too,” said O’Reilly.

Some members of the crowd booed at that revelation, sparking a response from Mr Trump.

“Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,” he said, waving away the boos with his hand.

'You’re playing right into their hands' when you doubt the vaccine, President Trump says. pic.twitter.com/xJc7JTL0cR

— No Spin News (@NoSpinNews) December 20, 2021

The moment came as Mr Trump told his fans they would only be “playing right into the hands” of his political opponents if they were sceptical of the Covid vaccines.

Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration program which helped researchers quickly develop the vaccines by guaranteeing a pay-off if they succeeded, is seen as one of the great successes of Mr Trump’s presidency.

“We did something that was historic. We saved tens of millions of lives, worldwide. We, together, all of us. Not me, we,” he said.

“What got three vaccines done, and tremendous therapeutics, that have saved a lot of lives. We got a vaccine done in less than nine months.

“Because of that vaccine, millions and millions of people … this was going to ravage the country far more than it is right now. Take credit for it. Take credit for it.

“It’s a great – what we’ve done is historic. Don’t let them take it away. Don’t take it away from ourselves. You’re playing right into their hands when you’re sort of like, ‘Oh, the vaccine!’”

Donald Trump and his wife Melania at a baseball game.

Mr Trump did stress that he was opposed to vaccine mandates. The Biden administration, along with state and local governments and many private companies, have required workers in certain sectors to be vaccinated to keep their jobs.

“If you don’t want to take it, you shouldn’t be forced to take it. No mandates,” he said (in contrast to the booster shot revelation, this remark drew cheers from the crowd).

“But take credit, because we saved tens of millions of lives. Take credit. Don’t let them take that away from you.”

A US federal appeals court recently reinstated a federal vaccine mandate after it was halted by legal action in November.

President Joe Biden had set a January 4 deadline for companies with more than 100 employees to ensure full vaccination of their workers against Covid-19 — a rule the administration said would affect more than two-thirds of the country‘s workforce.

Judge Jane Stranch did not rule on the ultimate merit of the order, but ruled that it had the potential to be found valid to protect American workers from the coronavirus.

Therefore the earlier injunction was not lawful, Stranch said.

The opposing rulings between the two courts set up a likely appeals challenge at the Supreme Court from the case‘s petitioners — which include five strongly Republican states as well as several private companies and religious groups.

At issue in this case is the constitutionality of a US president initiating such a sweeping nationwide mandate.

The Republican, who has still not ruled out a run in 2024, was strongly opposed to Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates requiring several million Americans take the shot to keep their jobs.

Mr Trump previously told the Wall Street Journal in a September interview that he “probably” wouldn‘t get a booster shot.

“I feel like I’m in good shape from that standpoint,” he told the publication.

“I’ll look at stuff later on. I’m not against it, but it’s probably not for me.”

The then-president and his wife Melania quietly got their initial vaccinations in January, though they didn’t publicly reveal that until March. At about the same time, Mr Trump told a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference that “everyone should go get your shot”, his most emphatic message on the matter at that point.

The Covid vaccines have been free and widely available in the US since April, giving it a significant headstart over other nations, such as Australia. However the government, and health experts, have struggled to convince the entire population to get vaccinated.

At present, 85 per cent of US adults and 73 per cent of the overall population have received at least one dose. But just 72.5 per cent of adults, and 61.5 per cent of the total population, is fully vaccinated.

Only a third of adults have received their booster shot.

The vaccine holdouts are largely Republican voters. Last week a Monmouth University survey found just 54 per cent of Republicans had received a vaccine, compared to 96 per cent of Democrats.

Meanwhile, cases are spiking once again. The US is currently averaging about 150,000 new infections each day, and 1400 deaths.

Throughout the pandemic, the country has recorded 52 million cases. Its death toll stands at just under 830,000.

Originally published as Donald Trump’s own fans boo him after Covid vaccine revelation