Former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have volunteered to get COVID-19 vaccines on camera, in an effort to help to show Americans it’s safe. According to CNN, the three men are hoping to once again provide leadership by example from an awareness campaign that shows Americans they trust the vaccine. Bush’s chief of staff, Freddy Ford, revealed that their team previously reached out to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx — who have been working with the current administration on the pandemic — to see how the 43rd President could best help get the word out.
“A few weeks ago President Bush asked me to let Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx know that, when the time is right, he wants to do what he can to help encourage his fellow citizens to get vaccinated,” Ford shared with CNN. “First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations. Then, President Bush will get in line for his, and will gladly do so on camera.” Clinton’s press secretary, Angel Urena, also spoke with the news outlet, revealing that he too is up for a public vaccination. “President Clinton will definitely take a vaccine as soon as available to him, based on the priorities determined by public health officials. And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
NEW: Three former US presidents – Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton – are volunteering to get their Covid-19 vaccines on camera in order to promote public confidence in the vaccine’s safety, @jamiegangel reports with @ShelbyLinErdman https://t.co/NcUL63nRQX
— Jamie Gangel (@jamiegangel) December 3, 2020
Finally, Obama made his volunteer support known during an interview with SiriusXM host Joe Madison. “People like Anthony Fauci, who I know, and I’ve worked with, I trust completely,” Obama said on Thursday. “So, if Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting Covid, absolutely, I’m going to take it.”
“I promise you that when it’s been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it,” he went on to say. “I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don’t trust is getting Covid.”
Notably, CNN says that it has reached out to former President Jimmy Carter‘s staff as well, to see if he too would be willing to take the vaccine publicly, but at the time of this writing the outlet did not reveal if it had received a response.
