December 8, 2020

President Donald Trump on Tuesday gathered people at the White House to celebrate the "miracle" of a coronavirus vaccine.

But the vaccine makers declined to attend. An introductory video tossed some of Trump’s own government scientists under the bus. And the man Trump tapped to help speed vaccine development spent the morning distancing himself from the executive order Trump signed at the event.

Instead, the event — or Trump’s part of it, at least — was the typical Trumpian mixture of political theatrics, brags, grievances and accolades doled out based on fealty to his preferred narrative. In the audience were the Trump political allies, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who have most vocally supported the president. And the White House launched the event with a video misleadingly portraying people such as Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, as naysayers about Trump's vaccine timeline.

Read more:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/08/trump-covid-vaccine-summit-443710