In a conversation with Bill O’Reilly on “History Tour,” former President Donald Trump revealed that he has received his COVID-19 booster shot. Trump was vaccinated in January, but has given mixed signals on the seriousness of the pandemic and the necessity of vaccinations. However, while talking to O’Reilly, he appeared proud of his administration’s actions.
Trump was booed for the announcement.
NEW: During their show in Dallas, President Trump reveals to @BillOReilly he got the vaccine booster shot. pic.twitter.com/fhkOQEeeEQ
— No Spin News (@NoSpinNews) December 20, 2021
“Look, we did something that was historic,” Trump said, defending his administration. “We saved tens of millions of lives worldwide when we, together, all of us, we got a vaccine done. This was going to ravage the country far beyond what it is right now, take credit for it.”
Trump did knock the notion of vaccine mandates, saying nobody should be required to receive the inoculation.
It was a surprise from Trump, who has hedged on vaccines in the past, telling the Wall Street Journal in September that he figured the booster shot “probably wasn’t for” him. However, health officials have said early data suggests that the booster shot is effective at combatting the omicron variant currently sweeping the country and disrupting holiday travel plans. Statistically, Trump’s supporters are far less likely to be vaccinated than the general populace. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that unvaccinated Americans are ten times more likely to test positive, and 20 times more likely to have a lethal case than those who are fully vaccinated with their booster shot.
O’Reilly told NewsNation that Trump phoned him later, expressing some hurt about the negative reaction his news got. “I said, ‘This is good for you,'” said O’Reilly. “‘This is good that people see another side of you, not a political side, you told the truth, you believe in the vax, your administration did it, and you should take credit for it, because it did save, I don’t know, hundreds of thousands of lives.’”
Last weekend, Trump appeared at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas’ Sunday morning service, in conversation with Pastor Robert Jeffress. Local reporters say COVID-19 did not come up during their conversation.
“The life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ forever changed the world,” Trump said. “It’s impossible to think of the life of our own country without the influence of his example and his teaching.”
