Trump Brushes Off Major Success From First Term: 'Long Time Ago'
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday brushed off what is widely considered to be among the biggest uncontested successes of his first term while reacting to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s move to pull $500 million in funding for next-generation mRNA-based vaccines to tackle viruses like Covid, H5N1 and the flu.
"You were the driving force behind Operation Warp Speed, these mRNA vaccines that are the gold standard," a reporter asked Trump during a White House event on Wednesday.
Operation Warp Speed was a 2020 public-private partnership, initiated by the first Trump administration, aimed at accelerating the development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, it was almost universally accepted that an effective vaccine for the coronavirus was at least 18 months to two years away. Trump's operation did it in less than a year.
"Now, your health secretary is pulling back all the funding for research, he's saying that the risks outweigh the benefits, which puts him at odds with the entire medical community, and with you," the reporter continued. "What's going on?"
"Research on what?" Trump asked.
"Into mRNA vaccines," she clarified.
"Well, we're going to look at that," the president replied. "We're talking about it and they're doing a very good job, and you know, that is a pass."
Trump went on to briefly acknowledge the success of Operation Warp Speed before dismissing it.
"Operation Warp Speed was, whether you're a Republican or Democrat, considered one of the most incredible things ever done in this country," the president said. "The efficiency, the way it was done, the distribution, everything about it has been amazing."
Then he added: "But, you know, that was now a long time ago. And we're onto other things, but we are speaking about it. We have meetings about it ... we're looking for other answers to other problems, to other sicknesses and diseases and I think we're doing really well."
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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