Jake Tapper Shades Politicians Who Didn’t Contain Pandemic as They Receive First Vaccines

Jake Tapper expressed disdain for “politicians” receiving some of the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, including Vice President Mike Pence. Tapper tweeted a GIF of Eddie Murphy giving a side-eye in the 1999 comedy Bowfinger. He wrote that the image described him as “watching the vaccination of politicians who have done more to help the virus spread instead of containing it.”

Tapper’s followers had little doubt that the tweet referred to Pence, who received the vaccine on Thursday. Pence was initially named the head of the White House coronavirus task force, yet throughout the pandemic, he has often prioritized the re-opening of businesses over the protective measures advised by public health officials. Tapper joined many other critics in suggesting that it was insulting to the American people for Pence to get a vaccine so early since there is a strong case to be made that his work over the last seven months has made it easier for COVID-19 to spread.

According to The New York Times, the White House claimed that Pence got the vaccine to “promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people.” This comes as many Americans express skepticism about taking the vaccine, with some fearing its fast development and others falling back on anti-vaccination conspiracy theories from before this pandemic.

However, an opinion column by Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post pins this anti-vaccine sentiment on the Trump administration as well. Rubin wrote that President Donald Trump’s relentless promotion of conspiracy theories in general throughout his presidency paved the way for this lack of public trust in the vaccine.

“If Trump was greatly successful in dealing with covid-19, as the president and others often claim, the disease cannot be a major risk. If Trump was correct that masks and stay-at-home orders are akin to tyranny, then COVID-19 cannot be much of a threat, right?” Rubin reasoned, trying to describe the point of view of an anti-vaxxer.

The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has now been administered to Pence, his wife, United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It was also given to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Senate Minority Leader Chuch Schumer, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Mitt Romney, according to a report by Axios.

Trump has not taken the vaccine and has not commented publicly on why, though White House spokespeople say that it is because he still shows antibodies from his own infection with the virus. Meanwhile, other lawmakers are refusing to take the vaccine and, in some cases, spreading conspiracy theories about it. On Friday, Colorado Rep. Ken Buck told Fox News that he is “more concerned about the safety of the vaccine” than the “side effects of the disease.”

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be effective and safe in extensive clinical trials and has been approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information on the vaccine, visit the World Health Organization’s website.