Almost like a switch had been flipped, a set of high-profile Republican political figures and conservative media personalities recently shifted their stance on the Covid-19 shots and became more outspoken and proactive in urging Americans to get vaccinated.
The shift in tone comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people resume wearing masks inside in areas where the Delta variant has led to a surge in cases.
“People just don’t trust politicians,” said the Republican pollster Brent Buchanan. “So even Trump saying, ‘I’ve been vaccinated, get the vaccine’ doesn’t undo how people have sought out information to justify their position.”
“At this point, political messengers are unlikely to be able to undo the harm caused by misinformation sources on Covid vaccines.”
“Yeah, there are holdouts because the information sources – conservative cable channels and a massive amount of disinformation on Facebook and other social media sites – have persuaded millions of people that the vaccines are either not necessary or downright dangerous,” Buchanan said.