President Donald Trump for months has been promising a coronavirus vaccine by November 1 – just days before Election Day. It started back in early August, when he told Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera a vaccine would be ready before the end of the year, and it “could be much sooner.”
“Sooner than November 3?” Rivera asked Trump – feeding him an impossible expectation.
“I think in some cases, yes possible before, but right around that time,” Trump replied, taking the bait.
It didn’t take long for the Candidate-in-Chief to power up the campaign lies and wouldn’t you know, America, Trump promised we will have a coronavirus vaccine in early October.
“We’re within weeks of getting it,” Trump promised ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos Tuesday night. “You know, could be three weeks, four weeks, but we think we have it.”
On Wednesday Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, pushed that date even earlier, to “potentially by the end of September.”
Trump is all in, and one-hundred percent committed to a vaccine in the next few weeks.
He has laid a huge trap for himself, walked right in, and has no way out.
Trump very easily could have declared, when Americans don’t have access to the vaccine by the end of September, or the beginning of October, or November 1, that he just meant the vaccine would be approved. Ready to be manufactured.
On Wednesday Trump promised “distribution” of the vaccine within weeks, meaning in the hands of doctors and nurses and other medical professionals who will begin to inoculate America. (He also said nothing about safety or effectiveness.)
The Director of the CDC on Wednesday told America a coronavirus vaccine would not be “generally available” until early spring or in the summer.
Trump told reporters Dr. Robert Redfield was mistaken.
And then, he walked right in to his own trap.
“I’m telling you, here’s the bottom line,” Trump said at Wednesday’s press conference, while lashing out at a reporter. “Distribution’s going to be very rapid, he might not know that, maybe he’s not aware of that, and maybe he’s not dealing with the military, etc., like I do. Distribution’s going to be very rapid.”
One hour earlier Joe Biden told Americans they should not trust a vaccine from the Trump administration unless the president can answer three basic questions:
- “What criteria will be used to ensure that a vaccine meets the scientific standard of safety and effectiveness?”
- “If the administration greenlights a vaccine, who will validate that the decision was driven by science rather than politics? What group of scientists will that be?”
- “How can we be sure that the distribution of the vaccine will take place safely, cost-free and without a hint of favoritism?”
Voters should judge the candidates by their promises, if those promises are realistic, and if they keep them. And cast their ballot accordingly.