Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio credited President Donald Trump for helping to facilitate the rollout of a COVID vaccine just nine months after the illness first began its spread across the country.
New York, which was the epicenter for cases in the spring, suffered greatly as thousands of deaths have been attributed to the virus. Beginning in March, de Blasio and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed the virus fallout on the president.
A war of words between Trump and New York’s leaders lasted for months.
But despite New York Democrats aiming their public criticism at the president throughout the pandemic, which was politicized early on, de Blasio said Trump deserved credit. After receiving his vaccination, de Blasio said the Trump administration played a “valuable role” in making that happen, Fox News reported.
“In terms of getting the vaccine, yes, I do think the president and his administration contributed substantially to getting a vaccine in this kind of time frame,” he said. “That’s a really good thing.”
The far-left Democrat is one of many New Yorkers who received a vaccine within the last week.
He posted about the vaccine on Twitter Tuesday, calling it a “miracle.”
“The #COVID19 vaccine is the miracle so many have waited and worked for, and will end the pandemic. Get this shot of hope and help set our city free. Our new Vaccine For All campaign will help spread the word that the vaccine is safe, effective and free,” wrote de Blasio.
The #COVID19 vaccine is the miracle so many have waited and worked for, and will end the pandemic.
Get this shot of hope and help set our city free. Our new Vaccine For All campaign will help spread the word that the vaccine is safe, effective and free. pic.twitter.com/AalxBVyeQg
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) December 22, 2020
The mayor’s comments came a day after presumed president-elect Joe Biden was inoculated with Pfizer’s vaccine.
ICYMI: Joe Biden received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech #Covid19 vaccine in Wilmington, Delaware pic.twitter.com/5BQ7x6cq8z
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) December 22, 2020
After receiving the first of two shots on live TV, Biden stated that the vaccine is safe to use. The Democrat initially signaled he would be hesitant to take such a vaccine which was developed under the leadership of Trump and Operation Warp Speed.
“Let me be clear: I trust vaccines,” Biden said in September, The New York Times reported. “I trust scientists. But I don’t trust Donald Trump, and at this moment, the American people can’t either.”
“I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it’s available, to take the vaccine,” Biden said, according to NBC News. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m looking forward to the second shot.”
Biden, like de Blasio, credited the Trump administration for the availability of the vaccine.
“I think the administration deserves some credit getting this off the ground with Operation Warp Speed,” Biden said. “This give[s] us great hope.”
Pfizer first rolled out its vaccine last week and a vaccine from Moderna had begun being used across the country.
The Moderna vaccine, like the one now in use from Pfizer, received emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Administration this month. The vaccines are being hailed as a “miracle” after intense media scrutiny, and after an NBC fact check “expert” first claimed in May that such a miracle would be needed for a vaccine to become widely available before the end of the year.
NBC Fact check: Coronavirus vaccine could come this year, Trump says. Experts say he needs a 'miracle' to be right.https://t.co/Pu6hDrWGgP
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 15, 2020
The establishment media, of course, hit Trump hard for saying that through cutting red tape with regard to vaccine development, a vaccine might be in use before 2021. Trump proved them correct, and now he’s receiving a little bit of credit, even if that praise is somewhat subdued.
Trump, who contracted the coronavirus in October and made a speedy recovery, hasn’t said if he has any immediate plans to take a vaccine.