Former US President Trump Tells His Republican Base To Get Vaccinated

Former US President Donald Trump is urging his Republican supporters to get the vaccine against Covid-19, saying he would recommend it.

In a TV interview, Trump said the vaccine is “safe” and “something that works”.

Mr Trump’s conservative fan base has been one of the main groups resistant to the vaccine programme.

The media criticized the former president himself during his time in office for playing down the seriousness of the pandemic.

As authorities roll out the vaccination programme across the US, all other living ex-presidents have spoken out, urging Americans to get the jab.

However, Mr Trump has remained largely quiet on the subject.

He and his wife, Melania got the vaccine at the White House in January.

“I would recommend it,” Mr Trump said during an interview on Fox News Primetime on Tuesday.

“I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it. And a lot of those people voted for me, frankly.”

He added: “It’s a great vaccine, it’s a safe vaccine and it’s something that works.”

A recent poll by CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the US, suggested that a third of Republican supporters would not have the vaccine when it was available to them, compared to 10% of Democrats.

Mr Trump’s comments came a day after his successor, President Joe Biden, expressed frustration at the reluctance among some conservatives to get the jab.

She added: “Every other living president… has participated in public campaigns. They did not need an engraved invitation to do so.”