Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is urging Americans to get what she refers to as the "Trump vaccine."
In an opinion piece for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sanders said she took advantage of former President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed and got vaccinated against COVID-19 a few months ago.
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Sanders, who served as Trump’s spokesperson from 2017 to 2019, said she had to sort through "a lot of misinformation thrown at me by politicians and the media" before deciding to get her shot. She also took aim at the "crowd of arrogant, condescending politicians and bureaucrats" whose "baseless fear-mongering" made many Americans scared the vaccines were not safe.
"If President Biden, Vice President Harris, and others on the left truly care about increasing the vaccination rate and saving lives, they should admit they were wrong to cast doubt on Operation Warp Speed and give President Trump and his team the credit they are due for the development of a safe and effective vaccine in record time," Sanders wrote in the op-ed.
Operation Warp Speed was launched by the Trump administration in May 2020 to accelerate development, production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, promising that 300 million doses would be distributed by the end of the year. The U.S. did not meet that goal, with the administration placing blame on states for their slow rollouts.
Still, Trump has repeatedly insisted that he deserves credit for the vaccines and saving American lives, telling supporters at a rally in Phoenix on Saturday that he "came up with the vaccine."
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Sanders said she felt "reassured" after Trump and his family were vaccinated. "If getting vaccinated was safe enough for them, I felt it was safe enough for me."
And with that, Sanders encouraged others to get their shots, saying, "It's clear that the Trump vaccine works and is saving lives."
"Some pundits and politicians have resorted to bribing, mocking, and even name-calling to coerce people into taking the vaccine," she wrote. "Filter out the noise and fear-mongering and condescension, and make the best, most informed decision you can that helps your family."
Sanders is currently running for governor of Arkansas, with Trump's endorsement.