Dr. Anthony Fauci guaranteed that he would oppose any effort by the Trump administration to rush a coronavirus vaccine for an October surprise.
President Donald Trump has pushed the Department of Health and Human Services to expedite its work on a vaccine, already set against the unprecedented timetable of achieving one by the end of the year, so that the public can glimpse an end to the pandemic ahead of the November presidential vote.
“Take that to the bank,†Fauci said when asked by McClatchy whether he would oppose any administration effort to announce a vaccine by November if it is not ready. “There is no chance in the world that I’m going to be forced into agreeing to something that I don’t think is safe and scientifically sound. I’ll guarantee you that.â€
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Trump is already trying to rush a vaccine on to the market as he seems to think that a vaccine will magically undo all of the damage that has been caused to the economy and that he will get full credit for the vaccine.
No one should be fooled by the happy talk coming from Trump and Pence. There is no vaccine yet. Science doesn’t bend to the whims of presidential election-year politics. Dr. Fauci’s comments should be heartening to the American people because they show that not every area of the federal government has been corrupted by Trump’s politicization.
There are still people in public service who care about protecting the American people.
Dr. Fauci is one of them, and he is not going to let Donald Trump fake his way to a coronavirus vaccine.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
