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Biden and his team have been trying to figure out how to
vaccinate more Republicans as polls show some supporters of the
former president have not wholeheartedly accepted the idea of
getting vaccine shots.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said he had
discussed the issue with his advisers.
"I discussed it with my team and they say the thing that has
more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is
what the local doctor, what the local preacher, what the local
people in the community say," Biden said.
MAGA is the acronym for Trump's signature slogan, "Make America
Great Again."
Trump has said little to his supporters about getting
vaccinated, after quietly getting the vaccine himself in
January. "Everybody, go get your shot," he told the Conservative
Political Action Conference late last month in Florida.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Trump could help but did
not necessarily expect him to do so.
"If former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be
more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine,
certainly we'd support that," Psaki said.
Health officials are contacting evangelicals and other
conservatives to reach Republicans, she told reporters at her
daily briefing.
"The president’s goal is to vaccinate all Americans, not just
those who voted for him," Psaki said. "We know that we need to
meet everyone where they are, and that includes conservatives,
and ensure there are trusted messengers who lead the way in
those engagements."
In a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released last week, about half
of U.S. men who identified themselves as Republicans said they
had no plans to get the vaccine.
Eighty-one percent of Republicans said they would trust their
own doctor’s advice on a COVID-19 vaccine, Psaki said Monday,
and that's one area where the White House is concentrating.
The other living former U.S. presidents - Barack Obama, George
W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter - are set to appear in
two public service announcements for the coronavirus vaccine
alongside their wives, without Trump.
Other presidents "have participated in public campaigns" on the
vaccine, Psaki said Monday. "They did not need an engraved
invitation to do so," she added.
(Reporting by Heather Timmons and Steve Holland; Editing by
Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis)
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