A nightmare hypothetical: if Trump had won, would you have gotten vaccinated against Covid-19?

[MerryHolidays]

I have to be honest: I would have thought about it long and hard, and I certainly wouldn't have signed up for it the moment that I was I eligible.

It was precisely because of my faith in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that I did indeed sign up for the vaccine the moment I was eligible, and got it the next day.

If Trump, HEAVEN FORBID, had won, I don't think I would have. I just wouldn't have had the trust.

What about you?

[LizBeth]

1. Easy peasy yes, I would have. I would have probably gotten in Aug, instead of getting it Feb/Mar

because distribution so piss poor by Trumpco.

[jimfields33]

25. Repugs are waiting for FDA full approval

I guess they are doing what some would do if the horror show continued.

[Progressive Jones]

52. Ironic, isn't it? Waiting for a big, bloated gov't. agency to show them the way. nt

[jimfields33]

53. Lol. Good point. They aren't hypocrites for nothing. Ha.

[LizBeth]

55. Pfizer had nothing to do with Trump and Republicans. I wo9uld not have gotten shot until many

had, so once I saw how it rolled out and listened to medical, I was pretty comfortable even though it did not do the final FDA

[Hortensis]

73. This. Yes, of course, to the OP. And I'm actually very sure other vaccines

would have been approved or cautioned by many, many experts around the planet. The manufacturers knew that and that liability would be beyond huge, suicidal, if any of them put out a vaccine that was defective for political reasons. Not that I think any of those with currently approved vaccines would have.

[LizBeth]

74. +1

[lame54]

62. Let's re-word that question...

You are sitting there with your sleeve rolled up
The nurse is filling the syringe
You notice that the vial reads:

Trump Vaccine

What do you do?

[Mr.Bill]

2. I would have done the same thing I did.

Follow the advice of my doctor. If I can't trust her, there's no sense in having her be my doctor.

[Crunchy Frog]

34. My former doctor accused me of being a drug seeker when I had a fucking kidney stone.

And I was stuck with her until she quit the practice and I got assigned a new one. Not as much choice when you're on Medicaid.

I've had enough bad experiences in my life that I NEVER simply blindly trust them.

I prefer to look at a variety of respectable sources.

[Mr.Bill]

40. My wife is a retired RN and my daughter has a Masters

in Clinical Nursing. She says my doctor is probably the most well-read doctor in the county on these vaccines, and runs the Family Medicine Clinic connected to our hospital. My daughter is the vaccine coordinator for the hospital. Those things and the fact that she (my doctor) has been caring for me and managing my health for about eight years has given me an enomous amount of trust in her.

Something I don't do is get my advice on the internet or from cable news like many do.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation with your doctor. We have so many retirement aged and lower income people here that if they don't take Medicare or Medical, a doctor won't be in business very long. I hope soon you can find one that is a better fit for you.

[Crunchy Frog]

49. The one I have now is fine. Or I at least haven't yet had the occasion

to encounter any bad side that she may have. I'd had the other one for years before the kidney stone-lack of pain management came up, including times when I had decent, private insurance.

I definitely don't get my advice from TV or random internet postings. I have enough of a scientific background to know how to find information from a variety of reputable sources.

From your description, it sounds like you have a lot more reasons to trust your doctor than just the fact that she's your doctor.

You're very fortunate in that respect.

[walkingman]

3. Funny - afraid I would turn into a Conservative and lie constantly. Yep, I would have gotten it.

[dsc]

4. Only if Fauci said it was OK

[MerryHolidays]

7. Good point: I would have done it if Dr. F said it was ok

I just wouldn't have trusted anyone else if Trump had won. THANKFULLY, we didn't have to confront this!!!!

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

9. Exactly what I had said.

[Polly Hennessey]

11. If Fauci said okay ✅ I would.

Probably would not have been able to get it in February but whenever That Other Guy found someone with the brain cells to organize and distribute. Oops, that might have been never.

[Blue Owl]

16. +1

I wouldn't have trusted any kind of vaccine or treatment the fat piece of shit parroted (i.e. bleach, hydroxychloroquine, etc.)

[2naSalit]

22. +1

[rsdsharp]

5. I wouldn't have done it based on Trump's recommendation,

nor that of Redfield or Birx. If Fauci said it was OK, I would have tried to get vaccinated.

It was hard enough here in Covid Kim’s Iowa, even with the Biden administration actively pushing vaccinations, and doing what they could to maximize supply. If Trump had won, he would have left it totally up to the states, and I’d probably still be looking for an appointment.

[gratuitous]

38. Yep

I would have had to sit down and think about it. When the former administration was talking like they'd take the reins on distribution of the vaccine last year, I was highly hesitant. As events unfolded, and it became plain to me that the pharmaceutical companies weren't going to be buffaloed by the administration, I began trusting the process again. I was in some ways glad to be in the Level 6 or 7 group so I could get a good look at how the vaccine was affecting others. By the time I got my first shot eight weeks ago, I was confident that science and good public health policy had won out over the petty politics of the former guy.

But if that fucker had somehow pulled through to re-election? Well, like I said, I'd have to sit down and think about it.

[Bleacher Creature]

6. Yes, because I trust the career scientists, namely Fauci. NT

[BigmanPigman]

8. As a matter of choice or availability?

I would have taken any vaccine but I don't think they would have been as available and organized as Biden's team. With Jared, Pence, Dr. Scarf, etc directing efforts you know it would never have been close to what Biden has done. It would continue to be a gigantic disaster.

During the days after the election and before Biden was declared the winner I said out loud to myself, "Oh no, now we'll never get better". It was the same fear I had 4 years earlier when I said, "I don't feel safe anymore".

[MerryHolidays]

12. That's a good point...my initial focus was on choice

because of the question of trust. Trump is a pathological liar, so I would not have trusted anything the fool said. But, as others have already pointed, if HEAVEN FORBID, Trump had won, I would have gone with Dr. Fauci's recommendation.

Your point about availability is an excellent one. If, HEAVEN FORBID, Trump had won, it probably would have been impossible to get the vaccine even if you wanted to.

[BigmanPigman]

18. And don't forget that he would likely

be making a nice profit for himself and his GQP pals. I'm sure we would have had to pay something for the vaccinations too. I picture where we are today and then do a 180° and picture the opposite scenario under the former guy. Chaos, confusion, grift, etc. would be continuing......

[BlueTsunami2018]

10. Yes but the real question is whether we'd have been able to.

I don’t think the distribution would be anywhere near the level it is and has been under the Biden administration. I would want to get vaccinated but I don’t know that I could have.

[Autumn]

13. Yes. Not because of him but becuse I trust the science.

[Rorey]

14. I would have followed the science

IOW, yes, I would still have gotten the vaccine.

If trump had somehow remained President, I don't think we'd have had widespread access to the vaccine for a very long time. Many more would be dead. I'm sure of that.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

15. Yes. Hell yes.

As long as the vaccine came from a reputable source. Not Kushner Pharmaceuticals.

[MerryHolidays]

19. Well, at least Kushner Pharma would have had the backing of the Russian "government"

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

20. Russian? Yes, I'd have taken the Sputnic V vaccine.

If it was approved for use by what remained of the CDC.

[beaglelover]

17. Of course I would. tRump did not create the vaccine. I trust the science.

[Treefrog]

30. But didn't you recently say you no longer plan to take precautions?

Science says we should.

[beaglelover]

31. For now. Expect new guidelines for indoor mask usage soon.

Once they are issued, I will follow them too. I'm quite confident that masks will no longer be required any where by mid Summer 2021. And I personally can't wait until that happens!

[soothsayer]

21. Cuomo had NY labs evaluating the stuff (data, really)

Would have been ok on his say so. BUT I’d be in year two.

[Arkansas Granny]

23. If Dr. Fauci said it was safe I would not have hesitated.

Trump had nothing to do with the development or manufacture of the vaccine, although he tried to take credit.

[In It to Win It]

24. Yes

[jalan48]

26. I don't know but I am sure I would be micochipped by now by Trump's cronies.

[sarisataka]

27. Why not?

As far as I am aware the efficacy vaccine is not dependent upon who is the current president. Also these are the exact vaccines as they were several months ago.

[Earth-shine]

28. If Trump won, it would have been all the more urgent to get vaccinated.

The pandemic is greatly abating under Biden.

It would not have been so under Trump. The pandemic would have raged on.

Responsibility for not getting infected would have been entirely up to each individual and family with little support from governments. Hence, the need to get your shots would have been even greater.

[Crunchy Frog]

29. I'm sure that I would have waited longer.

In fact, I'm sure I would have HAD to wait longer.

I would have needed a lot of reassurance from independent and trustworthy scientific sources. I also would have kept an eye on Europe, as I would have trusted their public health decisions more than ours under FG.

If that makes me a terrible person, then I'll happily take on that mantle.

[Treefrog]

33. I feel the same as you.

And Fauci lost my trust long ago as he stood beside the asshole and never contradicted him. When he said he doubted masks would help, he lost me for good. I appreciate the good he has done in his career, but the way he acted with the asshole is something I can never forget.

I contracted the virus last year. I was very sick, but not in danger of death. I’ve since been vaccinated. I made my decision based on many, many factors. Neither Fauci nor the former guy had any impact on my decisions.

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. Seems like you're the only person for whom it would have been a nightmare

I'm British, and I didn't stop to think that there's a Tory government saying "get vaccinated". There are doctors and scientists saying it's the healthy thing to do. It's not a political vaccine.

[MerryHolidays]

37. Seems like you don't have a great sense of how stuff became so politicized here

You do understand that, right?

[muriel_volestrangler]

39. Republicans said the vaccine was politicized

and the world looked on in astonishment. At the Republicans. Not at Americans.

[MerryHolidays]

48. That is the essence of politicization. nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

58. I'm sorry you let them define what is political

How can I help?

[MerryHolidays]

60. I'm not sure you were paying attention to the news

I didn't define it as political. The then President of the US, the governors of many states like Texas, Florida North Dakota, Georgia, etc. etc., US Senators did. As I mentioned earlier, that is the essence of politicization.

Help is not needed....Joe Biden is doing an excellent job of bringing the US back to normalcy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

63. All the people you list are Republicans. You're letting them define the vaccine

as if it's political. You don't have to act as if they have logical arguments, even if they hold, or held, official positions.

President Biden is indeed doing an excellent job, and one thing he's saying is that the vaccine is not political.

[MerryHolidays]

64. Not at all. THEY (and not we/the Dems) are defining it that way.

Last edited Tue May 11, 2021, 02:53 PM - Edit history (1)

For the Trump supporters, they have equated it to political. Accordingly, for example, wearing a mask to these people becomes a matter of civil rights/liberties. It is insane, but that is what it has come to in the US. No amount of talking to these people will change their minds.

For all the rest of us, it's merely a matter of life and death!

So many lost lives and tragedies could have been averted in the US had trump simply said wear a mask and socially distance. Instead, because he saw his election chances tied directly to the economy, he could not allow lockdowns to occur, as it would slow the economy and take away his (false) claim of success. Masking and social distancing became part of that strategy, and most of the Republicans went along with it.

We agree totally: none of this political. And President Biden is indeed doing a masterful job in dealing with this DESPITE the politicization that still persists in the Republican party.

[Crunchy Frog]

46. Your Tories are nowhere near the level of our current Republicans.

And I would guess that your public health agencies are not run by political appointees who, in the case of Trump, were often EXTREMELY corrupt and incompetent.

I feel like comparing the US and the UK, on this issue, is somewhat of a false equivalency.

[muriel_volestrangler]

57. The vaccines were cleared for use before the end of the Trump era

You have already been trusting the public health agencies who evaluated it, when Trump was president. The difference that Biden made was in the distribution, which made the vaccines more available, not more trustworthy. Large numbers of Republicans now being stupid about taking it do not mean that it would be a feasible idea to behave in the equivalent way if Trump had remained in power.

I feel that thinking the US has been in some special situation is a false sense of (bad) exceptionality.

[BGBD]

35. If it was after the election, then yes.

I would have been suspicious of a vaccine that came out just in time for election day, but a month after wouldn't have benefited Trump. He'd already either won or lost, so no reason to think the vaccine was iffy.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

36. I absolutely would've still done it!

Biden and his administration are managing the program far better, no doubt, but I'd ultimately still heed the scientists and medical doctors in regard to my own vaccination.

[Mr.Bill]

41. If Trump had won

Last edited Tue May 11, 2021, 12:39 AM - Edit history (1)

some red states would still not have distribution organized.

[marble falls]

42. Yes. And then I'd have gotten right back on the job being the opposition.

[Volaris]

43. Yes, but the caveat is that IF trump were still in power,

It would have taken another year to get to the vaxxed numbers were at right now.

So the complete answer is yes I still would have done it, but it likley wouldnt have been possible. So a shout out to Pres. Biden, for not being an idiot.

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Yes

I have little doubt the fleet of scientists developing the vaccines were diligent professionals doing good work.
And, since that didn't change because Biden won, it would have been true even if the outcome had been horribly different.

[malaise]

45. Would the vaccines have been ready yet?

Just asking

[LisaL]

47. Considering Trump didn't invent the vaccines, why in the world wouldn't I take it?

NT

[Disaffected]

50. Why on earth not?

The vaccine(s) were being approved by many countries around the world. I would have gotten vaccinated whether the US approved it or not.

[JI7]

51. Yes, with the current vaccines which scientists and health professionals

say is safe.

I would take nothing based on Trump's words alone.

[Dorian Gray]

54. yes

absolutely.

[Retrograde]

56. Would have wanted to, but

given the clowns Donnie put in charge of actually getting the vaccines to people I'd probably still be waiting - my county went 75% against Trump, and the state 65% against, so we'd probably be the last on the distribution list.

[Amishman]

59. Of course, covid is nothing to fool around with

Not doing so out of spite seems like it would be borderline insanity

[Happy Hoosier]

61. Yes.

I would have listened to experts who had evaluated the evidence and followed their advice, which would have been to get the vaccine.

[Ohio Joe]

65. I don't take medical advice from presidents...

I'd have done the same as I did already. I went to my doctor and asked him... He said go get it, so I did.

[RegularJam]

66. Yes.

I don’t see it as something that would change my doctors opinions and they are all of the same opinion. Get the vaccine.

[Hekate]

67. ONCE A SOBER SCIENTIST SPOKE ABOUT HOW LONG THE RESEARCH HAD BEEN GOING ON (17yrs)

...I was no longer hesitant.

It was Trump, with his carnival barker yapping about “Warp Speed” and how he and he alone was making it happen, plus the idiocy of his snake oil cures, that made me hesitate to believe it could be reliable.

Can’t recall exactly who the scientist was, but it wasn’t Fauci at that time, just someone who knew the long history of the research into corona viruses.

[Demovictory9]

68. yes, i would have

[Skittles]

69. ? I listen to docs and scientists, not politicians

yup

[Ms. Toad]

70. My criteria for taking the vaccine had nothing to do with politics.

It had to be at least 50% effective
It had to have sufficient peer-reviewed research that was available for me to review
I had to be comfortable wtih the risk/reward balance after reviewing the literature.

[salin]

71. The rollout would likely have been very unsteady and slow.

Probably the wait and see - would happen naturally due to long delays for availability between the initial shots for h/c workers and the general (non crony) public.

[Tink41]

72. Absolutely

No question. I do need to make very clear, the spokespeople we had in my area were a Godsend during this. If that "adult in charge" presence wasn't there I'm not so sure I'd been so confident.
I feel the Mayor of my metropolitan area and medical directors along with our Governor gave what may have been missing in other parts of the country. People can say what they want about those elected officials but they did their job very well.