Former Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton Have Volunteered to Be Publicly Vaccinated

From Town & Country

Earlier this week, three former Presidents—Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton—have offered to be publicly vaccinated for COVID-19, in the hopes that it will help assuage any doubts about the vaccine's safety. And now, President-elect Joe Biden has volunteered to do the same.

Prior to the first vaccine's FDA approval for emergency use, Biden told CNN that he would "be happy" to do so, once Dr. Anthony Fauci—the nation's longtime leading infection disease expert, who recently agreed to be Biden's chief medical officer—gave the green light. Now that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been cleared, Biden has reaffirmed his commitment to receive it, and to do so publicly. "I don't want to get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take," Biden said on Wednesday, per CNN. "When I do it, I'll do it publicly, so you can all witness my getting it done."

Previously, in an interview with Sirius XM host Joe Madison, Obama explained his decision to volunteer. "People like Anthony Fauci, who I know, and I've worked with, I trust completely," he said. "So, if Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting COVID, absolutely, I'm going to take it." Obama added that he planned to get immunized "when it's been made for people who are less at risk," and that he might "end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don't trust is getting COVID."

For his part, George W. Bush has apparently already reached out to Fauci to let him know that he's happy to be filmed getting the vaccine. "A few weeks ago President Bush asked me to let Dr. Fauci and Dr. [Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator] know that, when the time is right, he wants to do what he can to help encourage his fellow citizens to get vaccinated," Bush's chief of staff, Freddy Ford, told CNN. "First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations. Then, President Bush will get in line for his, and will gladly do so on camera."

Clinton's press secretary, Angel Urena, also confirmed to CNN that he would be happy to do what he could to support the vaccination process. "President Clinton will definitely take a vaccine as soon as available to him, based on the priorities determined by public health officials. And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same," Urena said.

Former President Jimmy Carter, 96, will also receive the vaccine "when it is available to him," the Carter Center said in a statement posted to Twitter. "Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said today that they are in full support of COVID-19 vaccine efforts and encourage everyone who is eligible to get immunized as soon as it becomes available in their communities," it added. The Center did not clarify if Carter intended to be vaccinated in public or in private.

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