Former President Donald Trump urged Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus in a Monday night interview where he again criticized the federal pause of the Johnson & Johnson jab.
“I encourage them to take it,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an hour-long sit-down interview, referring to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Trump, who was stricken with coronavirus last October, has received his vaccine.
While promoting the shot in the interview, the former president also ripped the pause to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was announced last Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“What the FDA did with Johnson & Johnson is so stupid,” Trump said.
“That’s the worst thing you could have done from a public relations standpoint. And it probably even affects the other vaccines a little bit,” the former president said.
Use of the single-dose COVID-19 vaccine was halted in the US amid reports that six women in the country developed dangerous blood clots — including one who died — after receiving the immunization.
The Biden administration has defended the pause, arguing it’s the proper precaution to keep Americans safe.