Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy published a remarkable op-ed on Tuesday applauding President Joe Biden’s rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, saying the president did a “good job” and the “right thing.” Yes, you read that correctly.
With conservative media currently under fire for pushing vaccine hesitancy amid a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations among the unvaccinated, Ruddy—who claims to be a close friend of Donald Trump’s—explicitly declared that he and his conservative network are pro-vaccine.
“Six months into his administration, President Joe Biden should be applauded for making a huge dent in the COVID pandemic,” he wrote. “He inherited an effective vaccine from President Donald Trump, took it into his arms, and ran with it.”
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Stating that coronavirus fatalities have fallen to record lows and side effects from the vaccines are negligible, Ruddy added Newsmax has “strongly advocated for the public to be vaccinated.” Notably, after Newsmax anchor Rob Schmitt claimed vaccines are “against nature” and some diseases are “supposed to wipe out a certain amount of people,” the network released an official statement saying his views “do not reflect the position of Newsmax.”
After writing that “Biden did the right thing and embraced Trump’s work” on the vaccines and that Biden’s high approval numbers are due to his COVID response, Ruddy wrapped up his column by heaping more credit on the Democratic president.
“For the moment, we as Americans can applaud President Biden’s success with the vaccine rollout,” he stated, “It is saving countless lives—and that is a good thing.”
Ruddy isn’t the only right-wing media figure suddenly pushing conservatives to get vaccinated as the Delta variant sweeps through the United States. On Monday, there appeared to be a concerted effort on Fox News among several anchors and hosts to promote the vaccines and encourage viewers to get their shots.
