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Did Trump and Melania secretly get Covid-19 vaccine? Internet slams ex-POTUS: 'He prefers to see people die'

After spending nearly a year rebuffing the dangers of the virus, Trump told his supporters at CPAC to 'go get your shot'

Former President Donald J Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump reportedly received shots of the Covid-19 vaccine, earlier this year in January at the White House. During his 90-minute speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday, February 28, Trump hinted that he had been vaccinated. He reportedly told the audience, “how unpainful that vaccine shot is, so everybody go get your shot”.

He went on to further claim that his administration deserves more credit for helping fast-track vaccine development through Operation Warp Speed. "Never let them forget this was us. We did this,” he said about the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines.

The news about Trump being vaccinated was first reported by Maggie Haberman of the New York Times and later verified in a CNN report, which claimed that a Trump advisor confirmed the news. However, it is still unclear about which shot the Trumps received and whether they received both doses. 

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Huge shift in vaccine tone for Trump

Trump's request at CPAC, urging Americans to get the vaccine marks a huge shift for Trump, who has spent considerable time downplaying the dangers of Covid-19. When cases first broke out in the US, Trump said it would disappear "like magic". As the CDC encouraged mask-wearing and social distancing, Trump often publicly ignored those guidelines, holding rallies where masks were optional and social distancing scant. He refused to wear a mask till very late, resulting in both him and Melania catching Covid-19. 

Back in December, CNN was the first to report that the Trumps wouldn't be getting the vaccines until it was approved by the White House medical team, while VP Mike Pence received his shot. There was no explanation at the time for why the VP was cleared to received the shot, but not Trump. It is notable that Trump received the shot in secret, without any fanfare or cameras which he absolutely loves. That is in stark contrast to former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, who volunteered to get their shots on camera.

In December, both Biden and Harris also got vaccinated on camera to help spread awareness of the importance of vaccines. 

After spending nearly a year rebuffing the dangers of the virus, it is noteworthy that the former president is promoting vaccines now. A key reason why could be that many die-hard Trump fans are openly anti-vaxxers.

A poll by Axios found that only 33% of Republicans plan to get vaccinated. Emerald Robinson, the White House correspondent for Newsmax tweeted, "Why do you need a vaccine for a virus with a 99.9% survival rate? The answer is: you don't. But the politicians want it for control." She isn't the only one, many Trump supporters have spent months spreading conspiracy theories about the virus.

Twitter calls Trump a hypocrite

When news of the Trumps getting vaccinated broke out, it did not take long for Twitter to call Trump a hypocrite. As one user said, "What a jerk Trump is. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 supposedly Oct. 1 and he and Melania received a Covid shot in January 2021. Why so much secrecy. Trump didn’t want his supporters to know because they called it a lie No virus remember. Now he took it what a hypocrite."

Another told Republicans they were "sold out", tweeting "GOP Party members you were sold out. It’s not a hoax. Trump and Melania jumped the line and got a vaccine Total Hypocrites. You were sold out."  One user tweeted "He’s an idiot that should publicly let people know he got the vaccine. He prefers to see people die."

Another asked "So Trump got the Covid vaccine in the White House in January but didn’t tell anyone. Any theories on why he was silent, besides the obvious—that he was scared shitless of again contracting a virus that he’d been downplaying, for political reasons, for nearly a year?" Another called Trump "pathetic to the end", saying "Florida Man and Malignant took their vaccine in secret so he wouldn’t look weak or lose anti-vaccine QANuts Pathetic to the end".