In front of a packed crowd in Selma, North Carolina, Former President Donald Trump took aim at those who institute and enforce Covid-19 mandates. Trump specifically went after private sector vaccine mandates. “One of the first things we’ll do with our new Republican majority is to end every last Covid mandate,” the 45th President said to massive applause.
Trump vows to end 'every last Covid mandate' and pass legislation making it illegal for employers to fire workers for not having the vaccine pic.twitter.com/e2kMfDU99N
— RSBN
(@RSBNetwork) April 9, 2022
What was notable however, is that Trump expressed intention to work toward ending private sector vaccine mandates. “And we will pass a bill making it illegal for any employer to interfere in personal health decisions or to fire employees for not having the vaccine,” Trump said to another rousing round of applause.
Trump has come under criticism in the past when talking about the Covid-19 vaccines at his rallies. He has often told his supporters to get vaccinated, and has long touted the vaccines created under “Operation Warp Speed” as one of his biggest accomplishments as President. At several rallies, Trump has been met with boos when promoting vaccines.
A crowd in mid-cheer immediately goes silent and starts jeering Trump when he says that he recommends people take the vaccine. pic.twitter.com/wz7RTdysMh
— Ron Filipkowski
(@RonFilipkowski) August 22, 2021
Polling data has changed on vaccine mandates and the government handling of Covid-19 over time. When the mandates were first introduced by the Biden Administration, the American public was largely supportive of them. Last September, over 60% of those polled supported private sector vaccine mandates. Now, that number is hovering around 50%.
This coincides with a dip in support for the Biden Administration’s handling of the pandemic among self-identified independent voters. According to the Morning Consult poll, Biden was at or around +30 among all voters in his handling of the pandemic. As of the beginning of this month, his net approval was at -7.
Quite possibly, many Americans who supported mask and vaccine mandates felt that these measures were crucial to ending the pandemic. Shifting goal posts from the medical establishment, as well as the Biden Administration, has likely caused more people to become more cynical of the government’s motives, critics say.