White House plans to reach hesitant Republicans through faith leaders and doctors

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is looking for ways to reach Republicans who are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the White House said on Monday.

Health officials are contacting Church fathers and other conservatives to reach Republicans, press secretary Jen Psaki said.

“The President’s goal is to vaccinate all Americans, not just those who voted for him,” Psaki said.

In a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released last week, about half of U.S. men who identified themselves as Republicans said they had no plans to get the vaccine.

Eighty-one percent of Republicans said they would trust their own doctor’s advice on a COVID-19 vaccine, Psaki said on Monday, and that’s one area where the White House is concentrating.

“We’re also meeting regularly with conservative groups, faith leaders, and rural stakeholders to partner with them,” she said.

The White House would support former President Donald Trump’s support, she said. “If former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, certainly we’d support that,” Psaki said.

Trump told attendees at a conservative conference last month to get vaccinated – saying, “everybody, go get your shot” – the first time he had publicly encouraged people to do so.

The other living former U.S. presidents – Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter – are set to appear in two public service announcements for the coronavirus vaccine alongside their wives, without Trump.