Even as stronger, deadlier variants of the virus that's killed over 600 thousand Americans continue to emerge, certain Republican lawmakers and media personalities continue to smear lifesaving vaccines and efforts to get them administered to as many Americans as possible.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is one of those lawmakers. Johnson has previously said he was "suspicious" of the effort to vaccinate everyone. He's held press conferences rife with disinformation devoted to discouraging people from receiving the vaccine. His efforts saw his home paper describe him as the "most irresponsible representative of Wisconsin citizens since the infamous Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy[.]"
In a recent Fox News interview, however, Johnson came out in favor of vaccine mandates—but with one mind-numbing caveat.
Watch below.
Question: Could you ever get behind a vaccine mandate for everybody? \nRon Johnson: No, not unless there\u2019s some incredibly deadly diseasepic.twitter.com/dySLgROgJK— Acyn (@Acyn) 1627701118
In an interview with Fox News' Brian Kilmeade if he'd support a vaccine mandate, Johnson said:
"No, not unless there's some incredibly deadly disease. I mean, much higher infection and fatality rates than we have with COVID."
To date, the virus death toll in the United States is at 629,391, while the global death toll is over four million. With an insufficient number of residents vaccinated, new strains of the virus can become more transmissible and more deadly.
People were livid at Johnson's dismissal of the threat posed by the virus.
This one is going to end up killing more Americans than the civil war.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— southpaw (@southpaw) 1627761465
Unfortunately we only have this credibly deadly disease.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— A.R. Moxon (@A.R. Moxon) 1627782147
According to the World Health Organization, COVID has already killed at least 4.2 *million* people.https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— David Priess (@David Priess) 1627728234
630,000 dead bodies isn\u2019t deadly enough for republicans like Ron Johnsonhttps://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— Benjamin Dixon (@Benjamin Dixon) 1627738126
Third biggest mass casualty event in US history... but apparently not deadly enough for Ron Johnson of the Pro-Life\u2122 Party.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1627752505
Newsflash, there is a deadly disease.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— Elizabeth Thorp (@Elizabeth Thorp) 1627707975
His response was panned across the internet.
A pound of hamburger meat in a coat and tie could give a more intelligent response.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— Zombie Prof Bill B (@Zombie Prof Bill B) 1627752204
My brain just imploded.https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost (@Spiro Agnew\u2019s Ghost) 1627701380
Ron Johnson is completely detached from reality in that way that only too much money can buy. @TheWorstSenatorhttps://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1421307620980236288\u00a0\u2026— \ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd99 \ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd8d\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd76\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd86 (@\ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd99 \ud835\udd6e\ud835\udd8d\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd76\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd86) 1627771704
Johnson continues to promote vaccine skepticism.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
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