WASHINGTON –President Donald Trumpsaid Sept. 1 he isnow demanding that COVID-19 vaccinemanufacturers prove that their shots have been effective, adding to his long string of comments alternately praising − and doubting the effectiveness − of the potentially life-saving medication. Trump called on drug companies to "justify their success" in combating the COVID-19 virus, demanding the immediate release of data on the matter. "Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree!" Trump said of COVID-19 drugs, including vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna and other pharmaceutical companies. "With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW." Trump said he wants the CDC to release numbers and results "NOW" to "clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!!" Trump and his administration appear to be far less supportive of Covid-19 vaccines than during Trump's first term, when he championed the "Operation Warp Speed" campaign to develop safe and effective shots for the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019. Recently, Trump and his Health and Human ServicesSecy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.have created controversy with moves such ascutting funding to mRNA vaccine development, new restrictions on access to COVID-19 vaccines, and the White House's firing ofCenters for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez. Those actions, and the departure of hundreds if not thousands of federal vaccine experts, "continue to endanger the nation's health," a group of more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees saidin a Sept. 3 letterdemanding Kennedy's resignation. But Trump wasn't always aligned with Covid-19 vaccine skeptics as he was initially an enthusiastic proponent of combating the virus through developing and deploying vaccines against it. Here's a timeline of some of Trump's key comments on the issue: At a White House briefing, Trump makes offhand comment wondering if using disinfectant as an "injection inside or almost a cleaning," could fight the COVID-19 virus, prompting intense blowback from doctors and other health officials. White House officials later suggest he was joking. Trumpunveils Operation Warp Speedand says it is a "massive scientific and industrial, logistic endeavor unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project" and that a vaccine could arrive "prior to the end of the year." At an ABC News town hall, Trump says a vaccine could be "three weeks, four weeks" away, thenpublicly rebukes then-CDC DirectorRobert Redfield for saying the timeline is longer. After news that Pfizer vaccine is effective, Trump touts Operation Warp Speed, calling it "thesingle greatest mobilizationin U.S. history – pioneering, developing, and manufacturing therapies and vaccines in record time." Healso claims incorrectlythat Pfizer and the Food and Drug Administration waited until after Election Day to announce the virus was effective to hurt him politically. In a video announcing emergency authorization of Pfizer's vaccine, Trump calls it a "medical miracle" that will "save millions of lives and end the pandemiconce and for all," with first doses administered "in less than 24 hours." At a rally in Cullman, Alabama, Trump tells supporters to "take the vaccines. I did it – it's good," that had recently been developed by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, drawing brief boos. Trump tells former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly he received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, again drawing boos from a crowd in Dallas. "Look, we did something that was historic," Trump said. "We savedtens of millions of livesworldwide." Trump conservative influencer Candace Owens he "came up with a vaccine, with three vaccines all are very, very good" and that the people "that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't do the vaccine, but it's still their choice" and that he opposes mandates. Trumprepeatedly employs anti-vaccine rhetoricat his presidential campaign rallies, saying at a Christian Faith and Freedom Coalition event that if re-elected, "I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate." Trump signs a presidential action prohibiting federal funding for COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools and universities, citing "theincredibly low risk of serious COVID-19 illnessfor children and young adults." After Health SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.announced that the government wascanceling at least $500 million of federally funded mRNA vaccine development, Trump praises Operation Warp Speed but says it was "a long time ago, andwe're onto other things." He also says the administration is "looking for otheranswers to other problems, to other sicknesses and diseases." Trump calls on drug companies to "justify their success" in combating the COVID-19 virus,demanding in an X postthe immediate release of data on the matter while the CDC is "being ripped apart over this question." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Is President Trump a supporter of Covid-19 vaccines? That depends
