Donald Trump’s final botch job
As the UK administered its first coronavirus vaccine manufactured by Pfizer, we find that the US will not get the number of vaccines it needs because Donald Trump decided to “pass” on the opportunity to secure additional vaccines before they were even ready. The New York Times reported that Pfizer offered the US the opportunity to lock in additional vaccines over and above the 100 million doses it had agreed to sell, and Trump declined. Let that sink in. Our so-called president decided to make do with enough vaccines for 50 million people (it is a double-vaccination process). The US population was 328.24 million as of 2019, which means he is either terrible at math or did not care if the bulk of us get vaccinated.
As the Times explained, once the US turned down Pfizer’s offer, Pfizer moved forward with deals with other governments. The European Union acquired 200 million doses – twice as much as the US agreed to. Trump, ever the misinformed idiot, held a White House event touting the great job done by Operation Warp Speed in securing the vaccine for the US. He further signed a (useless) executive order under his “America First” policy, claiming that other countries will not receive any of the US vaccine supply until all Americans have been inoculated. Apparently, he has not heard that UK began giving vaccinations already, and they have no need for US supplies since they have more than we do, thanks again to the Worst President Ever.
According to unnamed administration officials, this “executive order” is merely Trump’s attempt to create a foil to the news that he declined to secure enough vaccines for the nation. This is typical Donald Trump. Whenever he screws up, he looks for a way to turn his blunder around to his favor. That ploy will not work this time. Trump has continued to put millions of lives at risk by betting on five other vaccines, including Moderna and AstraZeneca, both of which have tested in the 90%+ range but both of which have not yet been approved, instead of taking Pfizer’s offer. According to the Times, Pfizer is the only manufacturer that received Western emergency approval. Trump could have secured 500 million additional doses had he taken Pfizer’s offer, but by the time those talks became serious in October, Trump was more focused on his reelection than on ensuring that more Americans could receive a vaccination against coronavirus.
While it is fortunate that Trump will soon be gone, his legacy of narcissism, hate, and lack of concern for the American people will continue to affect us. His early non-action on coronavirus, continued lies that it was not dangerous, and now, suppressing the amount of the vaccine we will receive, has and will continue to prove deadly for months—if not years—to come. He is still unconcerned, as his focus now is on trying to upstage President Elect Biden’s inauguration. He was a poor excuse for a president and an even worse example of a human being.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years