President Joe Biden will travel to North Carolina to tout the COVID-19 vaccine, but his visit to Raleigh will be just another example of his brand of performative politics. In reality, Biden has done little to advance the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide, while criticizing the efforts of President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, who actually put in the work to save hundreds of thousands of lives through Operation Warp Speed.
Biden has taken credit for the vaccines created under the Trump administration after repeatedly undermined the American people’s trust in the vaccine. During his campaign, Biden even went so far as to question whether or not a vaccine developed under President Trump would be “real.” While he promotes his ‘National Month of Action’ in Raleigh, North Carolinians should remember that Biden’s goal of 70% of adult Americans partially vaccinated by July 4th is nowhere close to being reached. According to the CDC, with less than two weeks left until Biden’s deadline, only 65% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and North Carolina reportedly won’t reach 70% until November. That’s thanks to Biden’s number one ally, Governor Roy Cooper, and his botched rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina, which caused North Carolina to rank among the lowest in the country for vaccine administration.
Without President Trump’s efforts at the onset of COVID-19, we’d be much farther behind in combating this virus. President Trump worked with Republicans in Congress to cut bureaucratic red tape which led to three safe and effective vaccines created through public-private partnerships that delivered results ahead of schedule. By Inauguration Day 2021, over 14 million doses had already been administered in the U.S., and National Institute of Health Director Francis Collins credited the Trump Administration for the program and said the vaccine was developed with “breathtaking” speed.
Unfortunately, the Biden and Cooper administrations have completely fumbled the ball for North Carolinians and are failing to deliver on their goal to vaccinate 70% of Americans by July 4th.
Biden has continuously overpromised and underdelivered as evidenced by Biden’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator’s recent admission that the administration will fall short of their July 4th goal.
North Carolinians are starting to recognize hypocrisy as par for the course in this administration. Here’s hoping Biden finally takes our state motto of “to be rather than to seem” to heart while he’s visiting the Old North State, and finally recognizes that we see right through his pretenses.
Michael Whatley is the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party
