Trump Admin Official Blasts CNN For Politicizing Vaccine

Former Trump Administration Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir joined CNN Newsroom‘s Ana Cabrera on Friday where he called out the constantly-interrupting host for politicizing the COVID vaccine by falsely accusing the Trump Administration of peddling misinformation.

Cabrera cited a poll that says that 26% of Republicans refuse to get vaccinated and she proceeded to blame Trump for it: “So, this goes back to the tone and the misinformation that took root during the last administration, which you were a part of. Bottom line, too many people don’t believe or they don’t care about the facts.”

Giroir rejected the frame and turned the tables at CNN

GIROIR : There was no mis–

CABRERA: Let me pose the question. 

GIROIR: There were no misinformations about vaccination.

CABRERA : COVID was the subject of a lot of misinformation.

GIROIR : In fact, it was your network that failed to transmit.

CABRERA: Please excuse me. Let me ask the question because I wasn’t trying to point fingers here. My question is how do you break through to those people who are dug in and say they won’t get vaccinated and in part because of all of the misinformation that they have been fed? Are they too old to get vaccinated? 

When Giroir was allowed to speak without being interrupted, he called out CNN for it’s coverage: “It’s never too late and we need to keep trying but I do want to say and you did point a few fingers, the Trump Administration was pro-vaccine. We developed the vaccine, we developed Operation Warp Speed, we sent them out, we had day-long seminars about the vaccine that were not carried by CNN, by the way.”

Cabrera interjected in an attempt to defend CNN, but as she tried to change the subject, Giroir challenged that assertion: “Did you, did you cover Operation Warp Speed, the Operation Warp Speed four hour seminar from the White House? You didn’t cover that.”

Moving on, Cabrera added, “And the other fact about the matter is, you know, we had the president at the time, but the president at the time was really speaking gibberish about the science and was really casting doubt on the science. Remember the talk about hydroxychloroquine, about bleach, and other things, casting Dr. Fauci in negative light at times, so there was this anti-science mentality that may have confused some people.”

Giroir was forced to clear the record again, “it never was anti-science.” I was never censored; I always spoke the truth in science. We followed the science as well as the Biden administration did.”

After an incredulous Cabrera asked if Trump really followed the science, Giroir repeated himself and added, “the more that we politicize this and the more we have this kind of political discussion, the less those people you’re concerned about getting vaccinated are going to get vaccinated.”

CNN was concerned about the possible impact of a vaccine that was rushed while Trump’s administration was working to speed up Warp Speed.

This segment was sponsored and produced by Applebee’s.

This transcript is for the show on February 4.

CNN CNN Newsroom: Ana Cabrera

2/4/2022

12:00 PM ET

ANA CABRERA: And a quarter of Republicans just this month in a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 26%, continue to say that they will definitely not get vaccinated. That has held steady since December of 2020. So, this goes back to the tone and the misinformation that took root during the last administration, which you were a part of. Bottom line, too many people don’t believe or they don’t care about the facts

BRETT GIROR: There was nothing to mis–

CABRERA: Let me pose the question. 

GIROIR: There were no misinformations about vaccination.

CABRERA : COVID was the subject of a lot of misinformation.

GIROIR : In fact, it was your network that failed to transmit.

CABRERA: Please excuse me. Let me ask the question because I wasn’t trying to point fingers here. My question is how do you break through to those people who are dug in and say they won’t get vaccinated and in part because of all of the misinformation that they have been fed? Are they too old to get vaccinated? 

GIROIR: It’s never too late and we need to keep trying but I do want to say and you did point a few fingers, the Trump Administration was pro-vaccine. We developed the vaccine, we developed Operation Warp Speed, we sent them out, we had day-long seminars about the vaccine that were not carried by CNN, by the way. We’ve all been vaccinated and promoted it, but I do say look… 

CABRERA: We carried all of the public COVID briefings and I, I have to make sure that we clear the record there. The other is — 

GIROIR: Did you, did you cover Operation Warp Speed, the Operation Warp Speed four hour seminar from the White House? You didn’t cover that.

CABRERA: And the other fact about the matter is, you know, we had the president at the time, but the president at the time was really speaking gibberish about the science and was really casting doubt on the science. Remember the talk about hydroxychloroquine, about bleach, and other things, casting Dr. Fauci in negative light at times, so there was this anti-science mentality that may have confused some people. 

GIROIR, It was not anti-science. I was never censored; I always spoke the truth in science. We followed the science as well as the Biden administration did, more people have died under the Biden administration than under Trump. This is not political…

CABRERA: The president has always followed science.

GIROIR – This is not an anti-science statement. The more, the more that we politicize this and the more we have this kind of political discussion, the less those people you’re concerned about getting vaccinated are going to get vaccinated. Vaccination does not need to be considered a political issue.

CABRERA: But the numbers don’t lie.