TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have all volunteered to get their COVID-19 vaccines on camera in an effort to boost public confidence in the vaccine’s safety, CNN reported Wednesday.
In an interview with SiriusXM that’s set to air Thursday, Obama said that he would have no worries about taking the vaccine if it’s approved and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, deems it safe.
“People like Anthony Fauci, who I know, and I’ve worked with, I trust completely,” Obama 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.”
“I promise you that when it’s been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it,” he said.
“I may 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,” he added.
Bush and Clinton are also on board, according to CNN, with Bush’s chief of staff telling the network that Bush would “gladly” get vaccinated on camera.
“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,” Clinton’s press secretary Angel Urena said.
CNN says it has reached out to former President Jimmy Carter’s representatives to see if he would be willing to take the vaccine on camera.