Trump Seeks Recognition for COVID Response but Fails to Advocate for Vaccine

Was allowing Anthony Fauci to dictate policy during COVID-19 wrong, or did the White House handle the pandemic perfectly?

Were the vaccines lifesavers that were developed in record time, or embarrassments we should never speak of again?

For Donald Trump, the answer is “yes.”

In an interview with his notorious sparring partner Megyn Kelly, Trump took all sides of the debate, so long as they made him look good. 

“I overrode many of the things he did,” he claimed about Fauci, though we can’t think of one. 

“I was not a big fan of Fauci,” Trump continued, even though he gave the doctor a presidential commendation. When reminded of that, he stammered,  “Ah … I don’t know who gave him the commendation.” It was Trump. 

As for the vaccines, Trump’s jiu-jitsu was something to behold.

“Democrats love him”, he said. “Very smart people, top people. They say . . .  ‘Why don’t you talk more about the vaccine? It was one the greatest things you’ve ever done.’ “

So he’s proud of it? “No, I’m not proud of it. I’m saying what Democrats think,” Trump said. But no, he’s not bitter.

Most importantly, the former president is sore that no one talks about the “tremendous job” he did with the virus. 

“I never got I think the credit that I deserved on COVID” Trump said.

But how can you get “credit” when you won’t even take responsibility?

The original vaccine was an absolute success.

It was developed quickly because of government action, and we know from longitudinal studies that COVID-related deaths were lower in areas where more people had the jab.

Trump — who, don’t forget, had a bout of COVID that seriously threatened his health — doesn’t have the courage of his convictions to stand up for it.

And on lockdowns, Trump weasels, “I let the governors run their states and many of the governors opened up their states. Some of them didn’t.”

Fine, but then you have no right to seek praise for the decisions of others.

And it certainly doesn’t mean that New York handled COVID better than Florida, as Trump ludicrously claimed, because to him insulting Ron DeSantis is more important than the truth. 

So Trump won’t take ownership of the things he did right and denies the blame for the things he did wrong.

His “convictions” end as soon as someone at a rally boos.