Former President Donald Trump.
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- Former President Donald Trump advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine in multiple appearances this month.
- His comments sparked criticism from some factions of the right, including Trump supporters.
- Trump was praised for the comments by the White House.
A right-wing radio host appearing on Alex Jones’s InfoWars said former President Donald Trump needs an “intervention from a friend” over his stance on the COVID-19 vaccines.
Trump praised the vaccines in multiple appearances this month. During an appearance with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump told some people in the crowd not to boo after he revealed he got the booster shot. He reiterated his pro-vaccine stance days later in an interview with conservative commentator Candace Owens, during which he praised the effectiveness of the vaccine at preventing severe illness.
It was not the first time Trump expressed support for the vaccine, but his comments prompted outrage from some factions of the right as Insider’s Cheryl Teh reported.
Wayne Allyn Root, a longtime political commentator and conspiracy theorist, was one of the critics. Root is a Trump supporter and even opened for the former president at a Las Vegas rally in 2018, according to The Daily Beast.
Speaking with Jones, a radio host and conspiracy theorist, on Wednesday, Root praised the former president, saying he considers him a friend, before taking aim at Trump’s vaccine comments.
“He needs an intervention from a friend, because he’s the greatest president of my lifetime. I love him. I will always love him,” Root said of Trump. “He’s been right on everything except this issue. He’s so horribly wrong on this issue.”
Jones was also among those bashing Trump, saying on his show last week: “Hell, we’re fighting Bill Gates and Fauci and Biden and the New World Order and Psaki and the Davos Group … And now we’ve got Trump on their team!”
Trump’s public vaccine support also received support from White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said the administration was “grateful” for his remarks.
