One of the more annoying things that the elitist media does in the course of their profession, was to think that just because they spend some time covering something it meant that they’re suddenly trained experts in the field. Thus was the case on Sunday’s Face the Nation, were talking head Margaret Brennan began yelling at Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams to vaccinate President Trump on camera, despite medical advice not to. She also accused Republicans of being anti-vaccine.
Teeing herself up to attack Dr. Adams on vaccinating Trump, Brennan cited a Kaiser Family Foundation poll that suggested that “42 percent” of Republicans were hesitant against taking the vaccine.
“That same study from the Kaiser Foundation shows the vaccine hesitancy cuts across racial lines, it also across political ones. But I want to drill in here, because the highest amount of hesitancy about taking the shot is from Republicans, 42 percent according to Kaiser. Rural residents, 35 percent,” she told Adams.
But while Brennan was busy knocking round Republicans and rural folks (a majority of each were not hesitant), independents were right up there with them at 36 percent. And that’s not to mention how almost 30 percent of health care workers were also hesitant.
“Wouldn't it help to persuade those Republicans, if the Republican President himself came out to try to persuade them to take the vaccine he says he is so proud he fast-tracked? Do you have plans to have President Trump get a shot in the arm on camera,” Brennan demanded to know despite the facts.
And as Dr. Adams was explaining why the President shouldn’t get the vaccination because he had received a monoclonal antibody treatment, and even though we’re still learning how long previous bouts with the virus leave a patient protected, Brennan began to yell at and over him:
DR. JEROME ADAMS (surgeon general): From a scientific point of view, I will remind people that President Trump has had COVID in the last 90 days, he received the monoclonal antibodies, and that is actually one scenario where we tell people, maybe you should hold off on getting the vaccine, talk to your health provider to find out the right time --
BRENNAN (Shouting over him): But that doesn't make you immune!
ADAMS: Politics aside, there is a medical reason.
BRENNAN: That doesn’t make you immune!
“Politics aside – Well, it does not, but we know that monoclonal antibodies, if you've been administered them, actually are a potential reason why medically we would tell you to hold off on the vaccination,” Dr. Adams was finally able to explain after she stopped her shrill exclamations.
Brennan continued to push, demanding Trump do public service announcements to promote the vaccine, as if the boasting of Operation Warp Speed was nothing. Dr. Adams referred her to White House on that, but added: “I can only speak for me. I got vaccinated, the Vice President got vaccinated. And plenty of Republicans look at him and see him getting vaccinated.”
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS’s Face the Nation
December 20, 2020
10:41:10 a.m. Eastern(…)
MARGARET: BRENNAN: That same study from the Kaiser Foundation shows the vaccine hesitancy cuts across racial lines, it also across political ones. But I want to drill in here, because the highest amount of hesitancy about taking the shot is from Republicans, 42 percent according to Kaiser. Rural residents, 35 percent.
Wouldn't it help to persuade those Republicans, if the Republican President himself came out to try to persuade them to take the vaccine he says he is so proud he fast-tracked? Do you have plans to have President Trump get a shot in the arm on camera?
DR. JEROME ADAMS (surgeon general): From a scientific point of view, I will remind people that President Trump has had COVID in the last 90 days, he received the monoclonal antibodies, and that is actually one scenario where we tell people, maybe you should hold off on getting the vaccine, talk to your health provider to find out the right time --
BRENNAN (Shouting over him): But that doesn't make you immune!
ADAMS: Politics aside, there is a medical reason.
BRENNAN: That doesn’t make you immune!
ADAMS: Politics aside – Well, it does not, but we know that monoclonal antibodies, if you've been administered them, actually are a potential reason why medically we would tell you to hold off on the vaccination.
BRENNAN: Okay, so if he can't take the shot, and you're saying for medical reasons, you think, why doesn't he at least come out and do the public service announcements to the people who voted for him, who trust him, and the vaccine he says he is so proud of?!
ADAMS: Well, I appreciate the question, and I would refer you to the White House. I can only speak for me. I got vaccinated, the Vice President got vaccinated. And plenty of Republicans look at him and see him getting vaccinated. And I hope that people will talk to their trusted health providers and get the information they need to make an appropriate choice to help us reopen our economy and to get back to normal and to save lives.
(…)
