Former President Donald Trump is once again touting vaccination for COVID-19 as infections and deaths continue to spike, calling the vaccines 'tremendous.'
Trump touted the shots, and his own administration's role in in seeking to speed authorization by helping fund multiple approaches while data was still coming in, in an interview with conservative radio host on the 'John Fredericks Show.
'The vaccines do work,' Trump told Fredericks, who served as his Virginia campaign chair
'And they are effective. So here's my thing: I think I saved millions and millions of lives around the world. We would have had another Spanish flu,' said Trump, in reference to the 1918 pandemic.
'I want our people to take the vaccines,' said former President Donald Trump. But he also said 'people have to have their freedoms'
But he once again spoke out against mandates – amid nationwide clashes over whether schools and businesses can require people to be vaccinated. One unvaccinated teacher infected nearly half her elementary school students, according to a Centers for Disease Control last week.
'I love our people, so I want our people to take the vaccines. But at the same time, I have to tell you, you can’t mandate it. You can’t force it. And I don’t think it’s going to be necessary because this thing is going to eventually go away,' Trup said.
'And now countries are using our vaccines, and it's tremendous,' Trump said, in comments picked up by the Washington Post. 'It's tremendously successful.'
But even as he touted the vaccine – Trump got the vaccine in private before leaving office, even as many politicians got their own jabs on camera – Trump defended the right of people not to take it.
Nurse Helene Leger gives FIorida International University student Vanessa Claude, her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 shot at a vaccination site on campus, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Miami
'I’m very proud of it. I saved millions of lives — but people have to have their freedoms,' he said.
His comment comes as Republican governors in many hard-hit states are battling school systems over mask mandates, as well as businesses requiring proof of vaccination for customers.
Coronavirus data show most of the hardest hit counties are in counties that backed Trump in the 2020 election.
He also said of the virus, 'This thing is eventually going to go away' - echoing comments he made early in the pandemic that has resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 Americans.
Donald Trump was met with negativity and a round of boos at a rally in Cullman, Alabama on Saturday night after he encouraged his supporters to get vaccinated against COVID-19
Trump tried a similar two-pronged approach at his rally in Alabama last month, where he talked up the vaccine but told supporters they had 'freedoms' – earning some boos from the crowd.
'I believe totally in your freedoms, I do, you've got to do what you've got to do. But I recommend that you take the vaccines,' he said, earning some jeers.
'You've got your freedoms,' he responded. 'But I happened to take the vaccine.'
The 7-day average of U.S. deaths was at nearly 1,400 at the end of August, with 100,000 hospitalized patients and 160,000 new cases on the rolling average.
Trump didn't respond directly when Fredericks told him 'you won in 2020' and said information is 'going to prove that you were the duly-elected.'
He also didn't respond directly when Fredericks asked if the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan should result in court marshals and impeachments.
'It’s the most incompetent thing I’ve ever seen,' Trump said, focusing on the loss of military equipment and other aspects.
As he did before the 2020 election, Trump predicted fraud in the hot Virginia governor's race.
'You know how they cheat in elections. The Virginia governor’s election — you better watch it,' Trump said. 'You have a close race in Virginia, but it’s not close if they cheat,' he said. Trump supporters echoed similar comments at the 'Stop the Steal Rally' and the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.
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