Before leaving the White House on Jan. 20, then-President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier in the month, a Trump adviser said Monday.
The former first couple received their second shot while in Florida as private citizens. The adviser did not, however, disclose whether the Trumps received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
It was not immediately clear why Trump and his wife kept their inoculations a secret for several weeks or why he didn’t mention it at a much-heralded political speech Sunday.
Trump had earlier declined to get the vaccine after his doctors cited potential complications related to the monoclonal antibody treatment he received when he contracted the virus last September.
Doctors generally recommend that people get vaccinated even if they have previously had COVID-19 since some people can get infected more than once.
Conservative Republicans are among the groups most reluctant to take the vaccines and are also supportive of Trump. The former Republican president has been famously skeptical of other public health measures, particularly mask-wearing.
But the 45th president reminded a cheering crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday that he’s the one who gave America the chance to get vaccinated.
“This was us. We did this. And the distribution is moving along, according to our plan,” Trump said. “It’s moving along really well.”
“So everyone get your shot,” he added.
