Donald Trump Changed His Tune on ’Covid Hysteria’ – Former President Donald Trump has strongly criticized the reintroduction of mask mandates by certain institutions in response to the emergence of new coronavirus variants. He has linked this move to his concerns about potential fraud in the upcoming 2024 election.
Donald Trump Changed His Tune
As President, Donald Trump implemented a national lockdown and said wearing masks was “patriotic”.
However, he later expressed skepticism of lockdown policies, stating that the US government only implemented an initial shutdown to avoid pressuring hospital capacities and to permit experts to study the new virus.
In a video address posted on X, formerly Twitter, Trump vowed that if re-elected, he would use his authority to cut federal funding for schools, colleges, airlines, or public transportation systems imposing mask or vaccine mandates.
Several private institutions, hospitals, and colleges have reinstated mask requirements for staff and visitors as a precaution against new coronavirus variants, including EG.5 and BA.2.86.
WHO Say Risk Is Low
While the World Health Organization deemed EG.5 to be of low risk to public health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed concerns about BA.2.86’s potential to infect individuals with existing immunity through vaccination or prior infections.
As of August 19, the CDC reported over 15,000 COVID-19-related hospitalizations in the United States, representing a nearly 19 percent increase from the previous week.
Hospital admissions have been on the rise since July but are localized to specific hotspots, remaining below the pandemic’s peak levels.
In a video message viewed 2.4 million times, Trump accused left-wing groups of attempting to reinstate COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates through fearmongering about new variants.
“They want to restart the COVID hysteria so they can justify more lockdowns, more censorship, more illegal drop boxes, more mail-in ballots, and trillions of dollars in payoffs to their political allies heading into the 2024 election—does that sound familiar?” Trump questioned.
Donald Trump Slams ‘Covid Tyrants’
He also issued a stern warning to those advocating for such measures: “To every COVID tyrant who wants to take away our freedom, hear these words: we will not comply, so don’t even think about it. We will not shut down our schools; we will not accept your lockdowns; we will not abide by your mask mandates; and we will not tolerate your vaccine mandates.”
Trump has persistently claimed that the 2020 election was rigged against him, despite a lack of evidence supporting his allegations. He has continued to focus on concerns of election fraud in his 2024 campaign for the Republican nomination.
Currently, Donald Trump faces two separate criminal cases related to allegations of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, characterizing the cases as attempts to prevent him from running for a second term.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, mask mandates and vaccine requirements encountered protests in various locations.
A recent report published by the UK government’s Health Security Agency probed whether high-quality masks, such as the N95, KN95 and FFP2 coverings, could help protect clinically vulnerable people from contracting Covid, but it could not find evidence they did.
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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