Why Trump’s secret COVID jab was a massive missed opportunity

A rolling survey by polling firm CIVIQS shows that 42 per cent of Republican voters say they do not plan to take a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available to them. Another 14 per cent say they are unsure about whether to get the jab.

Support for the vaccine is lowest among white Republicans, with just 42 per cent saying they plan to get vaccinated or have already been vaccinated. That compares to 94 per cent of white Democrats – a remarkable difference even in this American moment of heightened political polarisation.

Republican voters are increasingly sceptical, if not downright disdainful, of the mainstream media and scientific experts such as Anthony Fauci. Being told by a bureaucrat or CNN presenter that they should get vaccinated is more likely to turn them off than convince them to do so.

But one person wields enormous sway with these voters: Donald Trump. As the past weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) showed, most Republicans continue to revere him – even after his election defeat and the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

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In his speech to CPAC, Trump made a brief mention of the vaccine, saying: “Everyone should go get your shot.”

This raised the question: had Trump received the vaccine himself? It turned out he had: The New York Times reported on Tuesday (AEDT) that Trump and Melania had received their vaccines in secret in January before leaving the White House over a month ago.

The Trumps’ private vaccinations stand in contrast with the actions of political leaders around the world. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris received their vaccinations on camera, as did Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Australian government made it a priority to ensure Australians of all political persuasions have confidence in the vaccine by arranging for the Labor and Greens leaders, as well as Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to receive their jabs in public.

Former vice-president Mike Pence received his vaccine on camera, but he does not command anywhere near the devotion that Trump does among the Republican base.

Trump’s decision to get vaccinated in secret is especially baffling given he could have justifiably used it as a moment to take credit for the vaccine rollout.

For all Trump’s flaws in responding to the pandemic, he quickly seized on the importance of vaccines as a way out of the crisis by launching “Operation Warp Speed”, a public-private partnership to develop and manufacture COVID vaccines.

Being vaccinated on camera would have cost Trump nothing and sent a powerful message to his supporters that they should get the jab when their turn arrives.

It was a unique opportunity to use his platform for good, and he squandered it.