Vaccines have been a crucial factor in slowing the spread of the pandemic that's killed over 600 thousand Americans in only a year and a half.
These vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, but far-right media from Fox News to Newsmax have repeatedly peddled lies about the vaccine, in what can only be described as an apparent effort to discourage their viewers from potentially saving their own lives.
Rob Schmitt—a host for the popular right-wing disinformation outlet Newsmax—is the latest conservative media personality to speak out against vaccines, even going so far as to claim they're "against nature."
Watch below.
Newsmax host suggests vaccines are \u201cagainst nature,\u201d and some diseases are \u201csupposed to wipe out a certain amount of people\u201d\nhttps://www.mediamatters.org/newsmax/newsmax-host-suggests-vaccines-are-against-nature-and-some-diseases-are-supposed-wipe-out\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/TgQNFLKAav— Jason Campbell (@Jason Campbell) 1626106246
Schmidt said:
"Obviously, I'm not a doctor but I've always thought about vaccines, and I always think about just nature, and the way everything works, and I feel like a vaccination in a weird way is just generally kind of going against nature. Like, I mean, if there is some disease out there—maybe there's just an ebb and flow to life where something's supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people, and that's just kind of the way evolution goes. Vaccines kind of stand in the way of that."
Virtually the only accurate statement in Schmidt's diatribe was, "I'm not a doctor," as actual doctor, Professor Peter Hotez, pointed out in a fact check of the absurd claims.
My fact check on Newsmax segment: \n1. Natural immunity is not superior to vaccine immunity \n2. Young people are being hospitalized and suffering long haul COVID19 leading to grey matter brain degeneration\n3. Vaccines are not against nature, diseases wipe out the unvaccinatedhttps://twitter.com/jasonscampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD) 1626124352
I think among the most unethical things I've seen on television, and that includes Fox targeting me
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) July 12, 2021
Schmidt later backtracked with the all-too-familiar Republican argument that he was just asking questions and introducing the "other side" while amplifying baseless claims and false information.
People praised Dr. Hotez for the fact check.
@PeterHotez Thank you for all you are doing to protect everyonehttps://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1414694187174350849\u00a0\u2026— Eve Sullivan (@Eve Sullivan) 1626180805
Dr. Hotez, please keep speaking the truth against networks/platforms who are undermining science. It must be exhausting but we need you in this fight. Hopefully there will be a few out of this silo who will hear your message.https://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1414694187174350849\u00a0\u2026— Bellyork\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a (@Bellyork\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a) 1626128874
Thank you @PeterHotez for telling us the truth!https://twitter.com/peterhotez/status/1414694187174350849\u00a0\u2026— pamela prewitt (@pamela prewitt) 1626134372
Meanwhile, Schmidt was excoriated across the internet.
meanwhile, on the genocide channelhttps://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Bobby Lewis (@Bobby Lewis) 1626108158
death cult, part infinityhttps://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Eric Boehlert (@Eric Boehlert) 1626106850
The TV providers who include @newsmax, @OANN, @FoxNews in their packages need to reckon with the amount of dangerous disinformation they\u2019re disseminating.\n\nThis has to stop.https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Ahmed Baba (@Ahmed Baba) 1626118048
What slime.https://twitter.com/jasonscampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Fred Wellman (@Fred Wellman) 1626118837
Modern Republicans are literally pro-death.https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Santiago Mayer (@Santiago Mayer) 1626121333
Sociopaths. I keep telling you.https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1414618245555003394\u00a0\u2026— Hilluminati (@Hilluminati) 1626131282
According to career epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci, whom Repubicans have smeared as a deep state operative, more than 99 percent of virus deaths last month were unvaccinated people.
@LauraLoomer/X
