Donald Trump’s relationship with the Covid vaccine is becoming a political liability as he tries to prevent his voters from defecting to independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump is threatening to withhold funding from institutions mandating the Covid-19 vaccine and accusing Kennedy of being a “fake” anti-vaxxer. This is a departure from his previous support for the vaccine, which he once called “one of the greatest miracles” of his presidency.
Trump’s recent hard-line rhetoric on vaccines is seen as a response to the threat of Kennedy’s third-party candidacy. “Trump’s statements are clearly deliberate and politically calculated to negate the threat that [Kennedy] has become to him,” said Republican strategist Matthew Bartlett. Kennedy’s campaign has attracted vaccine skeptics and criticized Trump’s support for early pandemic shutdowns, forcing Trump to continue defending his stance on Covid.
Trump’s inconsistent support for vaccines since entering politics has been a point of controversy. His push for a rapid Covid-19 vaccine was met with skepticism and backlash among Republicans, turning one of his major policy victories into a political liability. This created an opening for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who attacked Trump from the right on vaccines.
A recent Monmouth University poll showed a slight increase in Republican interest for Kennedy when respondents learned of his debunked claim that autism is linked to vaccines. “There’s a slight movement… It only takes a few voters in key states to flip the Electoral College,” said Monmouth polling director Patrick Murray.
Trump’s opposition to Covid vaccine mandates isn’t new, according to Brian Hughes, senior adviser for the Trump campaign. However, Trump’s claim of credit for the vaccine has alarmed some of his most prominent conservative supporters, including Alex Jones and Charlie Kirk, who warned that Trump could lose voters to Kennedy if he continued to brag about the vaccines.
Kennedy’s campaign is embracing Trump’s ramped-up vaccine rhetoric. “Trump is trying to get back an audience that’s leaving him, that’s inspired by Robert Kennedy,” said communications director Del Bigtree. At a recent rally, Kennedy criticized Trump’s handling of Covid-19, asking the crowd, “Do you want a president who would do that?” The answer was a resounding “No.”
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
