Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the latest Democrat to cast doubt on a potential Covid-19 vaccine, saying he is “not that confidant” in the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
In a Monday morning interview with ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’, Cuomo claimed the CDC and FDA “don’t have any credibility” while President Donald Trump is in office and the public should be “very skeptical” of any vaccine pushed out.
“I’m not that confident, but my opinion doesn’t matter. I don’t believe the American people are that confident,” the governor said. “I think it’s going to be a very skeptical American public about taking the vaccine, and they should be.”
When a vaccine does become available, Cuomo says states will need independent doctors to test it on their own to ensure it’s “safe,” which is what he plans to do in New York.
“I believe all across the country you’re going to need someone other than this FDA and this CDC saying it’s safe,” he said.
Though he appears to have no faith in the administration or FDA and CDC, Cuomo did have praise for White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become more critical of the president recently after objecting to a campaign ad in which he said he was misquoted and claiming in a ‘60 Minutes’ interview that the administration has been “controlling” his media appearances.
“You have Dr. Fauci now saying that they basically tried to muzzle him,” Cuomo said. “He has the highest credibility in the nation on this issue.”
Gov. @andrewcuomo: Americans “should be” skeptical of any Covid vaccine the CDC/FDA clear for use pic.twitter.com/yBkVsXIOWn
Cuomo joins many other Democrats in their criticism of a potential vaccine, including Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
“I trust vaccines, I trust scientists, but I don’t trust Donald Trump. At this moment, the American people can’t either,” Biden said in September.
“If Donald Trump tells us to take it, I’m not taking it,” Harris similarly said during the sole vice presidential debate.
Like those Democrats, Cuomo has been accused of using “anti-vaxxer” logic to “undermine” confidence in a vaccine, with some critics even pointing to the governor’s own controversial leadership during the pandemic, which included a March order for nursing homes in his state to accept positive Covid-19 cases, a decision many people say led to thousands of deaths.
“While Cuomo recklessly undermines whether you can trust the FDA on a vaccine because of Trump, just remember that his team of ‘health experts’ had nothing to say about him sending thousands of covid positive seniors back into nursing homes,” radio show host Buck Sexton tweeted.
“Cuomo has gone full anti vaxxer,” added journalist Tim Pool.
Cuomo joins Biden and Harris in spreading reckless, anti-vaxxer misinformation. ⤵️ https://t.co/S2NHou8Cl3
These comments from Andy Cuomo display a fundamental misunderstanding of the way vaccine trials work. But hey, let’s listen to fear-mongering from the guy who had a hand in killing thousands of our elderly. https://t.co/TMM990aFK9
This is a total embarrassment. https://t.co/04zkgsAkBS
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