Citing unnamed advisers, the New York Times, CNN and other outlets reported that while other officials, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the former vice-president Mike Pence, chose to get their shots publicly to encourage confidence in the vaccines, the Trumps opted to quietly get vaccinated in January.
- There was no detail on which shot they received or how many doses they had been given.
- The revelation comes after the former President urged his followers to get vaccinated for the virus during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, telling the audience, “How unpainful that vaccine shot is, so everybody go get your shot.”
- That encouragement marked a notable shift as Trump, during his time in office, had long dismissed the gravity of the virus and eschewed practices like social distancing and mask wearing.
- The former president also helped fuel the anti-vaccination movement in the US, by tweeting conspiratorial claims and questioning scientists.
Both Donald and Melania contracted and recovered from Covid-19 during the 2020 presidential campaign.