The U.S. has administered more than 100 million COVID-19 shots, but "there still isn't anywhere near enough vaccine to go around," Jimmy Kimmel said on Monday's Kimmel Live, "and even when there is, the worry is that people will not want it — 49 percent of Republican men say they will not get the vaccine. Suddenly they're against baring their arms."
In fairness to Republicans, they're getting starkly mixed messages, Kimmel added. "The pandemic isn't a big deal, it will wash away, it's no worse than the flu; but it was created by China to destroy us. Which is it? Is Trump not getting the credit he deserves for manufacturing the vaccine, or this how Bill Gates controls our minds? No wonder they're hesitant." Dr. Anthony Fauci "strongly urged Donald Trump to tell his followers to get vaccinated," he deadpanned, "and he probably will, he generally does the right thing."
Tooning Out the News was similarly skeptical Trump would follow Fauci's suggestion.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Yesterday on Fox News, Dr. Fauci urged former President Trump to speak up about the coronavirus vaccine," Jimmy Kimmel said at The Tonight Show. Not only will Trump not respond to a direct appeal, he said, but "honestly, asking Trump to give people medical advice makes me nervous because you know one day he's gonna say something crazy like Sour Patch Kids can cure asthma." Fallon made his own Trump PSA just to be safe.
"Nearly 30 percent of Americans, and half of all Republican men, say they do not intend to get one of the vaccines," Stephen Colbert said at The Late Show. "First of all, I call dibs on theirs. Second of all, why? Why, Republican men, why? Your guy's the one taking credit for the vaccine even existing. You're insulting him by not getting jabbed!" Fauci used flattery to try to get Trump to step up, he noted, "but to get everyone their shots, we need leadership from every part of the community, which is why thousands of clergy members from a cross-section of faiths — imams, rabbis, priests, and swamis — are trying to coax the hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Reminds me of the old joke: A priest, a rabbi, an imam, and a swami walk into a bar, and it's okay because they all got vaccinated."
If you want the vaccine and can't find any, Conan O'Brien had an iffy solution. Peter Weber
-
Denmark’s record-setting arms purchase raises eyebrows and anxietyIN THE SPOTLIGHT By eschewing American-made munitions for their European counterparts, the Danish government is bracing for Russian antagonism and sending a message to the West
-
Is hate speech still protected speech?Talking Points Pam Bondi’s threat to target hate speech raises concerns
-
‘Mental health care is health care’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
