Three former presidents say they’d be willing to take a coronavirus vaccine publicly, once one becomes available, to encourage all Americans to get inoculated against a disease that has already killed more than 275,000 people nationwide.
Still, former President Bill Clinton would “definitely” be willing to get a vaccine, as soon as one is “available to him, based on the priorities determined by public health officials,” spokesman Angel Ureña said.”And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same,” Ureña said in a statement Thursday.
President Donald Trump was asked this summer if he would consider being the first to take the vaccine to send a message that it was safe. The president said that going first could also lead to accusations that he was being selfish, but that he would take it if recommended to do so.
President-elect Joe Biden said months ago that he’d take “a vaccine tomorrow” as soon as doing so was possible.Biden told CNN during an interview Thursday that he too would be happy to get his vaccine publicly to encourage people to follow suit.”People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work,” Biden said.
