Trump World adjusts to the growing influence of vaccine skeptics within its ranks

Once relegated to corners of the internet, the anti-vaccine movement has emerged as a force within Republican politics — encouraged by some of the most prominent figures in conservative media and top operatives in the MAGA movement. Their growth has come despite overwhelming evidence that individuals are far less likely to have severe illness or die from Covid if they’re vaccinated and boosted. And while they’re a minority in the party, they are forcing GOP lawmakers and top officials to confront a new set of questions: Is being anti-vaccine mandate enough for a Republican with national ambitions, or does one have to show, explicitly or implicitly, skepticism with the vaccine itself?

“The vaccine ‘hesitant,’ the vaccine ‘resistant’ and the anti-vaxx are a rising political force in the country — a force that will start to gain power in the primaries. Even President Trump’s most ardent MAGA followers— vaccinated or not— do not want him discussing this,” former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon wrote in a text.

Right-wing influencers like Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Bannon have all raised questions about the efficacy of vaccines or have invited anti-vaxxers to speak to their millions of viewers. Favorite guests have included Robert Malone, an infectious disease expert who appeared at an anti-vaccine rally in Washington D.C. last weekend and declared vaccines aren’t working, and Alex Berenson, an anti-vaccine writer who told Fox News viewers that “no one” should get mRNA covid vaccines. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan has elevated some of these voices on his platform, which is listened to by millions, sparking backlash and leading to him clarifying on Monday that he’d balance out the views he presents.

Unvaccinated former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin last week publicly flouted New York City’s vaccine mandate for restaurants, even after she contracted Covid. Lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have boasted of skipping the vaccine. Others who Trump has endorsed have insisted — against overwhelming evidence — the vaccine doesn’t work. And others have not talked about their booster shot status. DeSantis said he didn’t want his vaccination status to “be a weapon for people to use.”

The growth of the vaccine skeptical universe has caused alarm within the Republican party, where officials note that — in addition to the serious public health consequences — the position carries obvious political risks.

“For those primaries where Republicans are treading a little too far to the right, that’s going to be an issue. If they plan on being competitive or being a credible candidate in the general election, polls have shown people supportive of vaccines and not of mandates,” said one top Republican strategist working on the midterms, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the state of the party.

Chris Jankowski, a Republican strategist and former president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, said “the numbers aren’t there” for a Republican to win a general election while casting doubts on the vaccines.

“There’s not a significant single issue anti-vax vote that makes people fall in line like pro-life or the second amendment. And with President Trump continually saying get the vaccine, that tempers the growth of the anti-vax movement,” he said.

Straddling all of it is Trump, who has vacillated between being reluctant about talking about vaccinations, wanting to take credit for the Operation Warp Speed vaccine development, and eager to avoid backlash from his MAGA supporters for promoting the vaccine and booster shots too aggressively. Unvaccinated Americans lean Republican by a 3-to-1 margin, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. And even Trump fans have copped to feeling bewildered or betrayed by those relatively few instances where he has touted the importance of getting vaccinated.

“It’s causing more confusion with his base than anything,” said Diane Meade, a supporter who came to Trump’s rally in Arizona.

On Saturday night in Texas, Trump noted Operation Warp Speed but said “it’s time to move on” from the coronavirus. “We have to tell this band of hypocrites, tyrants and racists that we’re done with having them control our lives, mess with our children and close our businesses,” Trump said.

After the rally, pundits on the conservative Newsmax channel noted the disconnect between the vaccine skeptics in the audience and the former president.

“President Trump had taken some heat about talking about the vaccines and the greatness of Operation Warp Speed,” said Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield. He’s “a little off on that issue where the crowd is, but he’s listening to them,” another host replied.

In December, Trump had appeared to stake out a seeming middle ground approach, when he responded to being booed at a “History Tour” with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly for announcing he received a booster shot. “You’re playing right into their hands when you’re sort of like, ‘Oh, the vaccine,’” the former president said. “If you don’t want to take it, you shouldn’t be forced to take it. No mandates, but take credit because we saved tens of millions of lives.”

That posture — anti-mandate but pro-vaccine — had been used successfully by Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia gubernatorial election. It has also been adopted and amplified by the majority of GOP officials, even as they pass or push laws that would allow more of their constituents to avoid getting vaccinated. On Friday, Virginia state Attorney General Jason Miyares unveiled new legal guidance that said public colleges cannot mandate the vaccines. And last week in South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem announced her plans for a bill that would allow for religious, medical and natural immunity exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say that this bill has anything to do with being skeptical of the vaccine,” said Ian Fury, spokesperson for Noem. “The governor is vaccinated and would encourage South Dakotans to choose to get vaccinated as well but it should be a choice, it should be up the personal liberties of those South Dakotans. Public health shouldn’t be mandated, and hasn’t been mandated.”

But in certain corners of the Republican Party, being anti-mandate is not politically sufficient. Influencers and a subset of lawmakers have argued that the campaign to get people vaccinated and boosted itself is problematic. Their skepticism is driven by a belief that government bureaucrats have grown power hungry and that pharmaceutical executives are trying to line their pockets.

Owens, for one, has insisted that Trump was misinformed about vaccines because he has not been privy to Internet research. She declined an interview request for this story, and instead suggested to her followers on Instagram that POLITICO’s request was part of a conspiracy to support the pharmaceutical companies that advertise on the site.