'You gotta say it': Trump goes after the 'gutless' politicians who withhold their booster status
Former President Donald Trump doesn't think very highly of politicians who refuse to admit they've received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, it seems.
During an interview with the far-right One America News Network that aired Tuesday, Trump described politicos who dodge questions about their booster status as "gutless," Mediaite reports.
When asked by OAN host Dan Ball if he has reconsidered his recent positive vaccine rhetoric, as well his "view on the vaccine in general," Trump replied, "Well, I've taken it."
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"I've had the booster," he said. "Many politicians — I watched a couple of politicians be interviewed and one of the questions was, 'Did you get the booster?' — because they had the vaccine — and they're answering like in other words, the answer is 'yes' but they don't want to say it. Because they're gutless."
"You gotta say it — whether you had it or not," Trump went on. "Say it. But the fact is that I think the vaccine has saved tens of millions throughout the world. I have had absolutely no side effects."
The ex-president also noted those who have received the vaccine are less likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus.
"If they get it, they're not going to hospitals for the most part and dying," he said. "Before it was a horror, and now they're not." The president did, however, say he doesn't think "young, healthy people" should get the shot.
Trump's politician remarks may have also been directed at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), writes NBC News , who is sometimes viewed as a "Trump 2.0," and considered a possible presidential contender for 2024. DeSantis has so far refused to directly answer questions about his booster status, per NBC News.
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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
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