Former President Donald Trump accused the Biden administration Tuesday of pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine for “political reasons” at Pfizer’s request.
“The Biden Administration did a terrible disservice to people throughout the world by allowing the FDA and CDC to call a ‘pause’ in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine,” Trump said in a statement distributed by his “Save America” PAC. “The results of this vaccine have been extraordinary but now it’s reputation will be permanently challenged. The people who have already taken the vaccine will be up in arms.” (RELATED: Biden Admin Puts Use Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine On Pause As Six Of 7 Million Develop Blood Clots)
Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
Trump stated that the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “love for Pfizer” was behind the decision and cited the FDA’s decision to grant Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine an Emergency Use Authorization shortly after the 2020 general election. He claimed the company “didn’t like me very much because I pushed them extremely hard” through Operation Warp Speed.
“The FDA, especially with long time bureaucrats within, has to be controlled,” Trump continued. “They should not be able to do such damage for possibly political reasons, or maybe because their friends at Pfizer have suggested it.”
The White House did not respond to Daily Caller’s inquiries on the subject, but White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients and Dr. Anthony Fauci said at Tuesday’s press briefing that the decision was founded in “science” and ultimately made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
WATCH:
The CDC and FDA recommended earlier in the day that all vaccination sites pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after 6 of the nearly 7 million recipients developed “rare and severe” blood clots.
Of the six cases, one proved fatal and another remains in critical condition, while four fully recovered. All six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18-48.