President Donald Trump is demanding drug companies be more transparent with their data to validate the success of their COVID-19 vaccines, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been "ripped" apart by the public on whether the jab has actually saved millions of lives or not.
In a Truth Social post, the president specifically called out Pfizer, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, regarding their work during "Operation Warp Speed."
The first Trump administration initiated Operation Warp Speed in 2o20, which aimed to help fast-track development and testing of a COVID-19 vaccine as the country was gripped by the pandemic.
"I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public," Trump said. “Why not??? They go off to the next ‘hunt’ and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work.”
According to the World Health Organization, around 70% of Americans are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, totaling over 711 million doses. About 36% of the country also received at least one COVID-19 booster shot.
But skepticism has never quite wavered, including among many Republicans, over the necessity of the shot. That doubt was only exacerbated under the Biden Administration, with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the president's COVID-19 response team, becoming a lightning rod for criticism by the Right.
A recent KFF poll indicated that nearly 60% of Republicans would “definitely not” get the vaccine this fall.
"They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they don’t seem to be showing them to many others," Trump continued. "I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!!"
Trump was widely criticized by Democrats for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately played a factor in his ouster from the White House in 2021.
"I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as 'BRILLIANT' as many say it was," Trump concluded. "If not, we all want to know about it, and why??? Thank you for your attention to this very important matter!"
