By Matt Rooney
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To the surprise of no one, Save Jerseyans, Donald Trump was MOCKED a few short weeks ago for declaring that the U.S. was probably mere “weeks” away from a COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough. The fact-checkers jumped in and insisted he was wrong and reckless. The “experts” accused the president of waging politics to get people’s hopes up and salvage his reelection chances.
“We’re very close to having a vaccine,” Trump had said at his mid-September ABC News town hall. “If you want to know the truth, the previous administration would have taken perhaps years to have a vaccine because of the FDA and all the approvals. And we’re within weeks of getting it… Could be three weeks, four weeks.”
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Biden mocked him, too.
“We’re about to go into a dark winter,” said Biden during the second presidential debate. “And he has no clear plan and no prospect that there’s going to be vaccine available for the majority of the American people before the middle of next year.”
Sure enough…
On Monday (several weeks later if we’re splitting hairs), Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 90% effective!!! And an emergency use application could be filed by the end of November.
Check out this gem from The New York Times‘s story (which revolved around an interview with Kathrin Jansen, head of Pfizer’s vaccine development operation):
“Dr. Jansen said she learned of the results from the outside panel of experts shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday, and that the timing was not influenced by the election. “We have always said that science is driving how we conduct ourselves — no politics,” she said.”
Hmm. Miraculous, isn’t it?
The Sunday following a hugely-important national election in which COVID-19 was arguably the biggest issue, this “outside panel” decides to drop the good news? Wow. What a remarkable coincidence! And what a lucky thing for the maybe President-elect.
Wrong.
Pfizer didn’t take Fed $ for research but entered into an agreement w/ Trump Admin this JULY on logistics & to receive $1.95 Billion for +100 M doses of their vaccine, when approved, for the 🇺🇸 people ⬇️https://t.co/zrzd31XyT7
Be happy. This is a great day for health! https://t.co/dpxoiJuAF8
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 9, 2020
For weeks and weeks and weeks, Mainstream Media outlets told voters that he President’s optimism wasn’t just unfounded, but it was next-to-impossible.
For example, back at the end of September, a NYT reporter opined how “by all other accounts, the idea that it will be ready in October is far-fetched. Even if the vaccine shows promising signs in clinical trials — still a big if — the company will not have collected enough data by then to say with any statistical confidence that it is safe and effective.”
Sure enough… Big Pharma now has enough evidence to make a major announcement a mere week after Halloween!
The timing speaks for itself, folks. You’re not dumb like they think you are.
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