“I discussed this with my team and they say that what has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA people is what the local doctors, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community say,” he said. Biden at the White House on Monday.
“I ask all doctors, ministers and local priests to talk about why, why it is important to get this vaccine, and even after that, until everyone is actually vaccinated, wear this mask,” he said.
Previously, the White House has exposed how it was reaching conservatives with vaccine messages, even when officials recognized that a Democratic president did not have the same weight among this population as other public figures.
“If former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to speak more clearly about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, we would certainly support that,” said press secretary Jen Psaki at a press conference at the White House on Monday.
Health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that Trump’s voice in promoting the vaccine would go a long way in convincing Republicans to get it. Surveys show that Republicans are more likely to say that they are suspicious or that they do not plan to be vaccinated.
Trump made small efforts to promote the vaccine, including in a speech at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, but he did not appear in a public service ad featuring former presidents who were released last week.
Psaki noted that these presidents – Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter – “did not need a taped invitation” to promote the vaccine.
Still, Psaki said the government was focused on using “trusted messengers” to convince cautious populations to receive the vaccine.
“The president’s goal is to vaccinate all Americans, not just those who voted for him,” she said. “We know that we need to find everyone where they are, and that includes conservatives.”
She said Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, will meet with evangelical leaders on Tuesday to discuss vaccines and how best to promote them among the population.
And she cited polls showing that more Republicans would trust a doctor or healthcare professional when deciding whether to get an injection.