Charlie Kirk instructs Trump to not take credit for COVID vaccines, warning that “fringe issues very well might end up defining this election”
Kirk: “If you're gonna put up a Truth Social post that can be viewed as you taking credit for the vaccine, there is a potential political cost to that ... I would stay away from the vaccine issue.”
Published
Citation From the March 11, 2024 edition of The Charlie Kirk Show, streamed on Rumble
CHARLIE KIRK (HOST): A couple weeks ago, I was thinking up late at night. I said, boy, imagine all three on the debate stage. You have Trump, Biden, RFK. How should President Trump speak about the vaccine? I think he should speak about the vaccine in this regard - I think he should say, look, there was a time of crisis, and what I did to bring the vaccine companies together under usual circumstances would be considered to be a massive accomplishment. But more and more evidence is coming to light that Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, they were doing some funny business with some of these vaccines.
The vaccines certainly did help some people, and I always respected individual autonomy, states' rights, and I never forced the vaccine, and I never will force the vaccine. For some older Americans, I'm -- I believe that the vaccine helped them. For some younger people, it is a crime that they were forced to get it against their will. And as president, I will authorize a full investigation into Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson so that we'll find out if they told me the truth during Operation Warp Speed so that people can get clarity, and eventually justice. Boom. End of end of answer.
That way, it's not apologizing. It's not about, you know, backing away. That's -- that is a perfectly balanced approach. I wanna play some more tape here of Robert F. Kennedy, and I'm not saying this as a commercial for him, but this sort of approach can win you 10,000 votes here, 20,000 votes here, 30,000 votes here. Play cut 12, please.
...
It's not a two-person race. Fringe issues very well might end up defining this election. Now, I don't even like the word fringe. I should correct my language. That's not -- let's just say second or third or fourth tier issues. For example, coming up next month, we have doctor Miriam Grossman coming to a Freedom Night at Dream City Church. The trans issue and how kids are being trans-ed at record levels, that's a major issue. Trump is great on that issue, by the way.
By the way, Trump is also great on vaccine autonomy and agency. I'm not even attacking -- I'm saying that if you're gonna put up a Truth Social post that can be viewed as you taking credit for the vaccine, there is a potential political cost to that. And that cost is that you have this RFK guy lurking who currently is damaging Joe Biden. RFK is taking from Joe Biden right now, do not give him an attack vector to take from the MAGA movement.
Third party candidates can change an election. Remember, when Donald Trump became president in 2016, it was Trump v Hillary Clinton v Jill Stein and five other candidates. In 2020, it was just Trump v Biden, and all the other candidates were kicked off the ballot. It is going to be a race to 43, 44 percent. Do not give the opposition, do not give RFK any reason to trim at our base, to give people a little uncertainty.
Why aggravate the growing community of multiracial, multi-demographic, working people that are gonna propel Trump to victory in November? I would stay away from the vaccine issue, just say it's people's choice and so be it. More coming up next hour.