Former President Trump appeared to get booed by some of his supporters at a “Save America” rally in Alabama on Saturday night as soon as he encouraged the crowd to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I believe totally in your freedoms, I do, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Trump said. “But I recommend: take the vaccines.”
After saying that COVID-19 vaccines are “good,” Trump was met with boos from the crowd.
Trump then quipped to the crowd that they have “freedoms,” but that he “happened to take the vaccine.”
When the audible booing tamped down, Trump joked that the crowd would be the “first to know,” before reiterating against the vaccines are “working.”
In the seven months since he left office, the former president has not launched an official campaign to push Americans to get inoculated against the infectious disease that has killed more than 600,000 Americans thus far, despite allies’ efforts to persuade Trump to do so.
The Daily Beast reported earlier this month that Trump has shown little interest toward pushing the public to get vaccinated even when his allies offered several suggestions on how he could potentially vocalize pro-vaccine rhetoric.
The former president’s latest remarks echo his scattered approach to encouraging vaccines.
Last March, Trump told Fox News that he would “recommend” people to get vaccinated, but that he respected people’s “freedoms” to refuse vaccinations.
Watch Trump’s remarks below:
Trump advises his audience in Alabama to take the Covid vaccine pic.twitter.com/aaxQfnnxoh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 22, 2021
