For months, right-wing media outlets have promoted unfounded skepticism and hysteria against vaccines, which have proven effective in slowing the spread of the virus that's killed over 600 thousand Americans.
Newsmax host Rob Schmidt recently suggested that vaccines go "against nature." Fox News host Tucker Carlson falsely speculated that the vaccines don't work and that the government is keeping that a secret.
Far-right Fox host Laura Ingraham has run dozens of segments claiming the vaccines are an effort by the government to control its citizens, and that efforts to convince Americans to take the vaccines—including a door-to-door initiative to increase public awareness of where and how to get a vaccine—are a federal overstep.
This is all occurring as stronger, deadlier variants of the virus continue to emerge.
But Republican media personalities—including Ingraham—heaped praise upon former President Donald Trump for his Operation Warp Speed initiative as the first doses of vaccines were being administered.
Fox News contributor Jonah Goldberg—in an op-ed for the LA Times—is calling Ingraham and others out for this hypocrisy.
He writes:
"When Donald Trump was president, Operation Warp Speed was an own-the-libs triumph ... now [Ingraham] and many other right-wing media figures are engaged in fearmongering over the alleged dangers of vaccines we wouldn't have, were it not for Trump."
Goldberg specifically mentioned the time Ingraham said:
"[T]he stunning success of President Trump's Operation Warp Speed caught team apocalypse totally off guard. Don't you love it?"
People largely agreed.
Goldberg describes the right voters as \u201cprimed to be outraged\u201d and that\u2019s the most precisely accurate description I\u2019ve ever heard— mean spaghetti (@mean spaghetti) 1626186530
BTW, the anti-anti-Trumpers who are having a meltdown over this know Jonah's absolutely right.https://twitter.com/Mediaite/status/1415189315840249859\u00a0\u2026— John A. Daly (@John A. Daly) 1626247681
I would bet $1,000 she is vaccinated. All of these opinion pundits are vaccinated. They are playing GOP supporters with a dance of choose death.— \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd6a\ud835\udd3e\ud835\udd59\ud835\udd60\ud835\udd66\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd55 (@\ud835\udd44\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd63\ud835\udd6a\ud835\udd3e\ud835\udd59\ud835\udd60\ud835\udd66\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd55) 1626258435
Meanwhile, Ingraham's repeated disinformation regarding vaccines continues to prompt criticism.
Laura Ingraham: "I think if she could, she would put the unvaccinated Americans in camps!"\n\nOK, can we PLEASE stop now with the Nazi and Holocaust analogies when it comes to covid safety precautions and vaccines?!?!pic.twitter.com/Sfmj78brwq— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1625797573
Durbin reads @tiffkhsu article on Fox News & vaccine.\n\nDurbin adds: "There are 2 hosts of programs on Fox primetime that can only be characterized as anti-vaxx quacks. I\u2019m referring of course to Tucker Carlson & Laura Ingraham...spreading irresponsible information about vaccines"pic.twitter.com/JAshsDJ5jy— Howard Mortman (@Howard Mortman) 1626127273
The two biggest anti-vaccine propagandists - Fox News' Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham will not say whether they have received the vaccine. \n\nWhy not?— Chris Rilling\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0d (@Chris Rilling\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0d) 1626103244
Laura Ingraham has been vaccinated and should be sued in a class-action suit by the families of old people who watch @FoxNews\u2014because people like Laura and Tucker Carlson have killed their relatives with their lies about vaccines.https://twitter.com/mmfa/status/1415146370416185344\u00a0\u2026— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@Mrs. Betty Bowers) 1626232598
Tucker Carlson & Laura Ingraham have not revealed if they got the COVID vaccine.\n\nThink about that. \n\nIf they weren\u2019t vaccinated they\u2019d be shouting it from the rooftops.https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1413639056550875137\u00a0\u2026— 11fthb (@11fthb) 1626133414
Does she own a chain of funeral parlors, or what???https://twitter.com/mmfa/status/1415146370416185344\u00a0\u2026— Shai Franklin (@Shai Franklin) 1626233930
Ingraham has yet to respond to Goldberg.
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