WASHINGTON – The exclusive club of former presidents – minus the recently admitted member – appeared in two national advertising campaigns released on Thursday, aimed at building confidence among Americans in the coronavirus vaccines, according to copies of the videos that was provided to NBC News.
One of the spots, which lasts a minute, shows images of former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, who be vaccinated. .
“To get rid of this pandemic, it’s important that our fellow citizens are vaccinated,” Bush said, adding later: “Then roll up your sleeves and do your part.”
The other, a 30-second video, features Clinton, Bush and Obama during the inauguration of President Joe Biden in January while chatting outside at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Obama says the vaccines are the ‘first step in ending the pandemic and moving our country forward’.
Former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump are not part of the campaign. The Trumps were vaccinated before the former president left office in January. A person familiar with the matter, Trump did not allow official photos to be taken of him being vaccinated, and he showed no interest in being an active part of the elite club of his living predecessors .
Trump’s office declined to comment.
Clinton, Bush and Obama were quietly vaccinated weeks ago and are presenting the images for the campaign facilitated by the Ad Council, an organization that coordinates public service announcements, and the COVID Collaborative, a group of health, education and economic economy, people familiar with the trouble said. Clinton, Bush and Obama offered in December to make their vaccine shots public once they are eligible. Carter’s office announced last month that he had been vaccinated.
The images were stored for release Thursday, coinciding with Biden’s plans to take one year since the country began to stand still due to the virus. The venues are scheduled to appear on national and local television stations across the country and on digital and social media platforms.
Both public service announcements, which are not part of the Biden Administration – compiled by the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative – begin with the presidents noting that Covid-19 vaccines are available to millions of Americans and that it will be available soon. to all.
In the longer one, each of the presidents talks about what he wants to get back to once the pandemic is under control. For Clinton, it is about “going back to work” and “being able to move.” Obama says he wants to hug his mother-in-law and see her on her birthday. And Bush says he’s looking forward to going to Opening Day in a packed Texas Rangers Stadium.
“This is our shot,” Clinton said after showing images of him and his wife.
“Now it’s up to you,” Carter adds as a picture of him smiles and holds up his record card.
The former presidents stress that the vaccines are safe and urge Americans to be vaccinated as soon as doses are available.
“The science is clear,” Bush says in the space of thirty seconds. “These vaccines will protect you and those you love from this dangerous and deadly disease.”
“They can save your life,” Clinton adds.
The spots are not part of the White House’s long-awaited national campaign to curb vaccine hesitation, which is expected to be launched this month, but once the effort is rolled out, the former presidents can help the government convince skeptical Americans that the three vaccines available in the US are safe, people familiar with the discussions said.
An Obama spokesman, for example, said he was “looking forward to promoting the vaccine in public and taking his cues from the government on what will be best and when.”
Biden administration officials said they were reluctant to launch the campaign until the vaccines were available across the country, a measure that appears to be.
Biden, who said there would be enough vaccine doses for all eligible Americans by the end of May, made a point of announcing that he received a vaccine shot during the transition, as did Vice President Kamala Harris.
So far, the administration of Biden has begun efforts to raise awareness of vaccines targeting specific communities that have been skeptical about vaccinations. These include African Americans, Latinos, rural residents and military families.
The absence of Trump as part of the efforts of former presidents has disappointed some cheerleaders against vaccines, given the high level of hesitation among his supporters. Twenty-eight percent of Republicans say according to the Kaiser Family Foundation they will “definitely not” be vaccinated.
Trump called on Americans to be vaccinated during recent remarks at a Republican conference, but he did not put a broad push for it.
Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House Covid-19 Response Team, declined to say Friday whether the Trump administration had reached out on vaccine awareness. “We are glad that everyone who took the vaccine is talking about it, including him,” Slavitt said of Trump.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated directly in front of the media. His team made the video available for use in future public announcements, and “he would love to participate in other events if requested,” a spokesman said.
The administration’s vaccination trust campaign is expected to include a national message, along with detailed, targeted efforts aimed at those who are most vulnerable to the virus or have a high incidence of vaccination.