US President Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump for Slow Start to Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout
President Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump for failing to secure enough Covid-19 shots as he toured a Michigan facility where Pfizer is manufacturing its vaccine.
“My predecessor — as my mother would say, God love him — failed to order enough vaccines,” President Biden said, repeating criticism he’s made of Mr. Trump. “Failed to mobilize the effort to administer the shots and failed to set up vaccine centers.”
In remarks delivered at the facility, President Biden sought to reassure the public that the shots are safe and described efforts by his administration to increase supplies and vaccination sites. He also tried to rally support for his $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan that he proposed in response to the pandemic.
He said there are variables that will affect how long the virus will plague the US but that he believes “we’ll be approaching normalcy by the end of this year. And, God willing, this Christmas will be different than last. But I can’t make that commitment to you.”
The plant, in Portage, just outside Kalamazoo in southwest Michigan, is Pfizer’s largest manufacturing facility. There, the company’s corona virus vaccine is formulated and filled into vials before being shipped for distribution.
President Biden’s visit was just his second trip away from the East Coast since taking office last month, following a Tuesday appearance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Last week, he toured the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, getting a first-hand look at federal research on the virus.
Since taking office, President Biden has ordered an additional 100 million doses apiece of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, bringing the total to 600 million, which is enough for 300 million people. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each require two doses.
The president said Tuesday that Pfizer agreed to speed up shipments after President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act, which enables the government to nationalize manufacturing in emergencies.