Former President Donald Trump was booed on stage by his supporters in Alabama after he told them that they should get vaccinated. The large crowd at Trump's rally, most of whom were not wearing masks, reacted to his recommendation and his call for more people to get inoculated.
Trump initially talked about how people were free to choose and that it was their right to choose. He then reversed course and said he recommends that everyone receive a vaccine because he did it, and it was "good." The rally crowd apparently did not expect Trump's recommendation, which echoed the mask and vaccine rhetoric of his political opponents.
"No, that's okay. That's all right. You got your freedoms. But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know. Okay?" Trump said the crowd booed his initial recommendations.
Large parts of the South, including Alabama, are battling a new wave of COVID-19 cases fueled by the more contagious Delta variant. In Cullman, where the rally was held, COVID-19 cases remain elevated. The largest city and county seat of Cullman County has now matched its previous peak in December last year. Last week, the city declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the rally.
Trump devotees boo as the former president suggests vaccines in Alabama https://t.co/CF2wkhX7T8 — MSN (@MSN) August 22, 2021
The state of Alabama currently has the lowest vaccination rate in the country. According to official data, only about 36% of the state's population has been fully vaccinated. Local officials, including Governor Kay Ivey, have blamed the unvaccinated for the recent surge in infections.
A poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Republicans were the second-least likely demographic to agree to be vaccinated. The poll showed that around 40% of Republican says they will never get vaccinated, with some saying they would only do so if required by law.
Trump, who had been infected with COVID-19 in the past, has publicly endorsed vaccines. However, he has criticized how it is being used by the government, often using it as a political weapon. Last week, Trump slammed the Biden administration's recommendations of giving out booster shots. Trump called the efforts a "money-making operation." Trump also directly attacked Pfizer, who was not part of his previous administration's public-private vaccination effort "Operation Warp Speed," accusing it of using the pandemic to make more money.
