Ronny Jackson, formerly Donald Trump’s doctor during his presidential term, now a member of Congress, appeared on Fox News to speak against vaccine mandates. He accidentally demonstrated how effective they can be, instead.
UNITED STATES – JULY 22: Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, attends a news conference with the GOP Doctors Caucus on the origins of covid-19, the delta variant, and vaccines, outside of the Capitol on Thursday, July 22, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In the clip below, Jackson explains that he believes everyone should consider getting vaccinated, and that he encouraged several family members to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Still, he thinks “some people” should have the choice. However, perhaps most importantly, Jackson says that he wouldn’t have gotten vaccinated himself, but did, because he felt his job (in the U.S. House of Representatives) required it.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (he's also a doctor!) says he only got vaccinated because of Nancy Pelosi pic.twitter.com/nXcxEVf8aJ
“The only reason I got vaccinated, Brian, was because I knew that I’m on the foreign affairs committee and armed services committee, and I knew that Nancy Pelosi was not going to let me travel on CoDels — on Congressional Delegations — if I didn’t get it. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have got it, because I’m otherwise pretty healthy.
“I’m not anti-vax, don’t take it that way. I encouraged my parents to get it, I told my sister to get it, she’s immunocompromised. I think everybody should look at really seriously getting the vaccine, and there’s a lot of people that need to get it because this virus is the real deal, but there are some people that need to be able to make that choice for themselves.”
Notably, while Jackson says he got vaccinated in order to be allowed to do his job, there is not actually a mandate for Members of Congress to be vaccinated, and the NY Post reported last month that Pelosi had said there would be none. Still, rules around masking and testing have been implemented in Congress, and Jackson’s whole declaration seems to suggest that he is vaccinated because he felt his job demanded it.
Steph Bazzle reports on social issues and religion for Hill Reporter. She focuses on stories that speak to everyone's right to practice what they believe in and receive the support of their communities and government officials. You can reach her at Steph@HillReporter.com
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