White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki falsely claimed during Wednesday’s White House press conference that former President Donald Trump suggested that people inject “poison” into their veins to cure COVID-19.
Psaki made the remarks in response to a question from a reporter on whether President Joe Biden contributed to vaccine hesitancy with remarks that he made while he was a candidate for the presidency.
“As the president tries to reach unvaccinated Americans, has there been any thought given looking back to the possibility that he may have created some vaccine hesitancy when last year around this time the previous administration was rushing to get a vaccine authorized?” the reporter asked. “And the now-president said, ‘I trust vaccines, I trust scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump at this moment, the American people can’t either.'”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say he still doesn’t trust Donald Trump. So, that hasn’t changed,” Psaki said. “But he does trust scientists. He does trust data experts. And he does trust the people leading the CDC, the FDA, which is the gold standard of approval for vaccines. I’d also note because this question often comes up, that the President has repeatedly given credit to scientists and experts from the prior administration, even as recently as just a few weeks ago for their role in moving the vaccines forward.”
“I would note that at the time, just for context, the former president was also suggesting people inject versions of poison into their veins to cure COVID,” Psaki falsely claimed. “So, I think that’s a relevant point.”
WATCH:
Doocy to Psaki: "As the President tries to reach unvaccinated Americans, has there any thought given, looking back, to the possibility that he may have created some vaccine hesitancy…when he said, 'I trust vaccines. I trust scientists, but I don't trust Donald Trump.'" pic.twitter.com/nFLpgDHrt6
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) August 11, 2021
TRANSCRIPT:
REPORTER: As the president tries to reach unvaccinated Americans, has there been any thought given looking back to the possibility that he may have created some vaccine hesitancy when last year around this time the previous administration was rushing to get a vaccine authorized. And the now-president said, ‘I trust vaccines, I trust scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump at this moment, the American people can’t either.’
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, I think it’s safe to say he still doesn’t trust Donald Trump. So, that hasn’t changed. But he does trust scientists. He does trust data experts. And he does trust the people leading the CDC, the FDA, which is the gold standard of approval for vaccines. I’d also note because this question often comes up, that the President has repeatedly given credit to scientists and experts from the prior administration, even as recently as just a few weeks ago for their role in moving the vaccines forward.
REPORTER: Yes, but at the time, when Donald Trump is out there saying we’re gonna have a vaccine in the next couple of weeks, next couple months. And Joe Biden is out on the campaign trail saying don’t trust Donald Trump, did that create any kind of vaccine hesitancy?
PSAKI: Not that we’ve seen in the data. I would note that at the time, just for context, the former president was also suggesting people inject versions of poison into their veins to cure COVID. So, I think that’s a relevant point.
REPORTER: And Joe Biden, then-vice president was saying, we got to wait until something is fully authorized, and it’s still not.
PSAKI: Well, the FDA works on the timeline and of science. At the same time. We’ve also seen tens of millions of people’s lives saved who have gotten the vaccine, that data is clear across the country.