‘It is the right thing to do’: Chelsea Clinton calls on Trump to release a vaccination photo to help win over MAGA anti-vaxxers
Referencing concerns that Republicans are warier of Covid vaccines, 41-year-old says ‘real difference’ could be made in vaccine effort with image of former president’s jab
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea Clinton is calling on Donald Trump to convince supporters to take-up Covid vaccines by releasing images of his own vaccination, which occurred in January.
Ms Clinton, the 41-year-old daughter of former president Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, told ABC’s ‘The View’ that it was “the right thing” for the former US president to do.
Referencing concerns that Trump supporters — and older white males in particular — were wary of Covid vaccines, Ms Clinton said on Thursday: “"I certainly wish that president and Ms Trump been vaccinated on camera,”
She continued: “Even before we received authorisation I hoped that president Trump and his whole family would be out in front, getting vaccinated when it was their turn to do so,”
“I wish he had been part of that effort, and I still wish that they would release photographs of president Trump and Mrs. Trump being vaccinated, because I think it's the right thing to do — full stop,” said Ms Clinton.
The former president and first lady were vaccinated without cameras in January, in the days before leaving office. The details were first reported in February, and were followed by confirmation from Mr Trump.
Although the Trump administration accelerated the development of Covid vaccines for Covid and recently took credit for it, the former president reportedly voiced opposition to vaccines — generally — in 2009, the New York Times reported.
In contrast, ex-presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all volunteered to receive their Covid vaccines in public to boost confidence among the US public. As did president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris.
Ms Clinton added on Thursday that by releasing images of his vaccination, Mr Trump could convince a whole demographic of the safety of vaccines, which he suggested last week should be called the “Trumpcine”.
She told ‘The View’: “I do think that it would make a real difference”.
It follows confirmation that Mr Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, received a vaccine after she tweeted about it on Wednesday, along with an image. Trump supporters offered criticism, and accused her of “virtual signalling”.
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