Dr Fauci says he was ‘stunned’ when Trump was booed by his own supporters for promoting vaccine
Mr Trump is drawing fire from his own supporters after speaking positively about vaccines developed under his administration
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dr Anthony Fauci said he was “stunned” by video of former president Donald Trump being jeered by his own supporters after he revealed that he’d received a Covid-19 vaccine booster shot.
Speaking on ABC’s ‘This Week,’ the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease told host Jonathan Karl that he was “a bit dismayed” by the Trump supporters’ reactions
“His followers booed him, which I was stunned by … given the fact of how popular he is with that group,” he said. “That they would boo him … tells me how recalcitrant they are about being told what they should do.”
Mr Trump drew his fans’ ire during an appearance in Dallas with ex-Fox News host Bill O’Reilly after he told O’Reilly that he’d gotten a booster shot. The former president later told attendees at the event that his supporters were "playing right into their hands" by dismissing the efficacy of the shots and not letting him take credit for them.
"Look, we did something that was historic, we saved tens of millions of lives worldwide. We, together, all of us, not me," Mr Trump said. "Take credit for it. ‘Take credit for it. It's great. What we've done is historic. Don't let them take it away. Don't take it away from ourselves”.
Dr Fauci, who also serves as chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, frequently drew Mr Trump’s ire during his presidency by contradicting numerous false statements which Mr Trump made during televised daily briefings in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The veteran virologist, who has led the NIAID since the Reagan administration, has since become a bete noire for Republicans looking to downplay Mr Trump’s handling of the pandemic over the course of 2020. A recent report by the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis revealed that Mr Trump and his advisers pushed for a “herd immunity” strategy which would have let the coronavirus run rampant through American communities as they sought to prioritise Mr Trump’s reelection campaign over the push to stop the spread of Sars-CoV-2.
Nonetheless, Dr Fauci praised Mr Trump for his decision to encourage supporters to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
“I think that his continuing to say that people should get vaccinated and articulating that to them, in my mind, is a good thing,” he said. “I hope he keeps it up”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments