White House denies Trump endorsed 'herd immunity' and predicts Covid vaccine will be ready this year
The White House on Wednesday denied Donald Trump endorsed the controversial “herd immunity” concept as a way out of the coronavirus pandemic and that he shunned mask-wearing despite his own words during a town hall with undecided voters the previous night.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany jousted with reporters during a combative briefing, saying the notion that Mr Trump or his advisers supported the notion of most Americans contracting the respiratory disease and becoming immune – even if hundreds of thousands more die – was merely something “cooked up” by the media.
“Herd immunity has never been a strategy here at the White House. President was noting herd immunity [develops] over a period of time,” she said.
Here is what Mr Trump said Tuesday night at the Philadelphia town hall: "Sure, over a period of time. Sure, with time it goes away. And you'll develop -- you'll develop herd -- like a herd mentality. It's going to be – it's going to be herd-developed, and that's going to happen. That will all happen. But with a vaccine, I think it will go away very quickly.
“That’s not Dr Atlas’ view. He’s never proposed herd immunity as a strategy, and neither has the president,” the White House press secretary told a reporter.
