'I would recommend it': Trump urges hesitant supporters to get COVID-19 vaccine
LOS ANGELES - Former President Donald Trump recommended the COVID-19 vaccine to Americans on Tuesday, saying that it "is a safe vaccine, and it is something that works."
Speaking in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on "FOX News Primetime" on Tuesday, Trump said, "I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me frankly."
Trump's endorsement of the vaccines comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci urged the former president to recommend that many who are wary of getting a shot get one.
"If he came out and said, ‘Go and get vaccinated. It’s really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country,’ it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him," Fauci said during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."
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Trump and former first lady Melania Trump were vaccinated in January prior to the former president’s leaving office.
While he has not appeared publicly like other past presidents in ad campaigns urging Americans to get inoculated, he previously recommended getting the vaccine when he spoke at CPAC last month.
"Everybody, go get your shot," Trump said at the event.
Trump, who holds a strong pull among many Republican lawmakers, gave a crucial endorsement for the vaccine following recent polling that shows a growing partisan split when it comes to getting the shot.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 42% of Republicans say they probably or definitely will not get the shot, compared with 17% of Democrats.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.