Responding to a Covid-vaccine question from a voter in Iowa, Donald Trump took the opportunity to respond to a broader criticism of his administration’s pandemic response.
“Everyone wanted a vaccine at that time, and I was able to do something that nobody else could have done — getting it done very, very rapidly. But I never was for mandates; I thought the mandates were terrible,” the former president said.
JUST NOW: Iowa voter tells Trump "we have lost people because you supported the jab."
Trump responds by praising the COVID mRNA shots, doesn't acknowledge any of the adverse effects.
"I was able to do something that nobody else could have done…There's a big portion of the… pic.twitter.com/rfuj4jqybS
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 1, 2023
The DeSantis campaign has been especially focused on the subject, using lockdowns and the continued employment of Anthony Fauci in the Trump White House as examples of weak leadership.
“I think [Trump] did great for three years, but when he turned the country over to Fauci in March of 2020, that destroyed millions of people’s lives,” DeSantis remarked on May 25.
DeSantis highlighted Florida’s distinctive approach of defying conventional wisdom and enduring criticism from various sources, including the media, bureaucracy, and even fellow Republicans, by keeping schools open and supporting businesses.
Acknowledging the difficulties of responding to the pandemic during its early stages, DeSantis admitted to having made mistakes and having altered his approach based on evolving information. He offered, “What I’ve said about it is it was a difficult situation and we didn’t know a lot. So I think people could do things that they regret. I mean, I’ve said there are things we did in those first few weeks that I pivoted from.”