WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump again urged people to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, saying he would recommend vaccination to “a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me.”
In an interview Tuesday night on Fox News, Trump acknowledged that people were free to decide for themselves whether they would be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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“We have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works," he said.
Republican opposition to receiving the vaccine is strong. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 42% of Republicans say they probably or definitely will not get the shot, compared with 17% of Democrats — a 25-point split.
Trump has promoted vaccination before. When he appeared Feb. 28 at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, he said, “Everybody, go get your shot.”
Trump’s message comes days after the U.S.’ top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that Trump should use his popularity among Republicans to encourage them to get vaccinated against the virus.
Read: Fauci: Trump should urge his followers to get vaccinated
More: Coronavirus news