CNN anchor Jake Tapper criticized President Joe Biden’s approach to addressing Americans who have not gotten one of the available coronavirus vaccines.
During a Friday morning appearance on “New Day,” Tapper told anchors John Berman and Brianna Keilar that Biden might make more headway if, instead of blaming and scolding the unvaccinated, he placed blame on the “liars” who had spread misinformation about coronavirus and the vaccines. (RELATED: ‘More Animosity And … Division’: Greg Gutfeld Says Biden Is Painting Unvaxxed Americans As ‘The New Terrorists’)
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Tapper joined the show to respond to Biden’s Thursday speech announcing a plan to force large businesses to require employees to either take the vaccine or submit to weekly testing.
“I think there are legitimate questions about whether or not President Biden has the authority to do this,” Tapper said, noting that Biden had made the jump from attempting to persuade Americans to get vaccinated to actively coercing them to do so.
“He took on a scolding tone talking to the people who are unvaccinated, talking about how, you know, people’s patience is running out,” he added. Tapper went on to suggest that the goal might have been to provoke some Republicans into coming out against the mandates.
Tapper then addressed the idea of mandates and the tendency of many Americans — regardless of political party — to push back when they were ordered to do something, even if it was something that could be good for them to do.
“People don’t want big government telling them what to do,” Tapper continued. “There are grifters, people using this for ratings, for clicks, all sorts of — for votes. I haven’t yet really seen the Biden administration talk or try to address this. I don’t think scolding is the approach.”
Tapper concluded by comparing the situation to the 2020 presidential election and drawing a line between the people peddling lies and those whose only mistake was in believing them.
“I haven’t seen the president or anyone say, look, people — look, he’s scolding the people that are being lied to as opposed to the liars. Do you know what I mean?” he asked. “Like instead of saying there are a bunch of people just trying to get your money, trying to get your attention, trying to get your votes, trying to get your views and clicks, they’re lying to you. Instead of shaming the liars and trying to educate the people being lied to, he’s scolding the people being lied to. And, again, as with the election lie, you can get mad at the people who believe the lies, but the villains are the liars.”