Talks about Trump being involved in the spot never got a pull because of his departure from the Presidential Club at the end of his term and the bitter way in which he left Washington on New Year’s Day Trust, people who knew the case said.
It was a conversation that January day between former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama that formed the basis for the vaccination campaign, which ended Thursday. Since Trump made the decision not to join his predecessors at that historic time, someone close to the project said he was asked to be involved in the public service message.
Trump showed little interest in joining his predecessors to advance the vaccine, and the team that organized the PSA did not see it as likely to be the 45th president. participating, leaving very little opening for admission.
“He made no signs of wanting to be included in those times,” a supporter of the vice president told CNN.
Lots of reasons
There doesn’t seem to be a single reason to ban Trump, said one person involved in the production, but instead felt he was never able to get involved.
A spokesman for the Ad Council, which issued the spotlight, said it was “something that was started by the former presidents while President Trump was still in office” when asked why not Trump was introduced.
Spokesmen for Trump did not answer questions about why he was not involved.
While in office, Trump administration officials discussed how and when to get a coronavirus vaccine, including the prospect of making the camera. Yet Trump himself did not appear to be particularly keen to get the vaccine, said one familiar with the situation, even though he was building on the development and ask to take credit for it.
A former Trump administration official said the former president was also acutely aware of his image after being hospitalized with Covid and was unlikely to accept any photograph that might harm his health. and show fitness again.
There was also a debate at the time Ivanka Trump got the picture public, a view that didn’t come to fruition, either. Instead, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence were top-ranked Trump administration officials seen receiving the bullet.
In the spots, the former presidents describe what they lost during the pandemic and why they want to be vaccinated. Clinton says he wants to “get back to work” and be “able to move around.” Obama says he misses visiting his mother-in-law and says he wants to “chew and see her on her birthday. “And Bush says he’s” really looking forward to going to an Open Day at Texas Rangers Stadium with the full stadium. “
Former President Jimmy Carter will not speak on camera, but the 96-year-old Democrat says through the spot that he is getting the vaccine “because we want the disease to be this release will end as soon as possible. “
The announcement ends with the four vice-presidents urging Americans to get vaccinated as images of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Barack and Michelle Obama, George and Laura Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton all getting their vaccine.
‘Amazing work’
Trump was asked almost a year ago whether he would consult with former presidents on how to deal with the pandemic, a practice that was once common for presidents in crisis. large.
“I think we’re doing an amazing job. So I don’t want to upset them, disturb them,” he said at a White House coronavirus action group briefing. “I don’t think I’m going to learn much and, you know, I believe you could say there’s probably a natural inclination not to call.”
These paintings have been moved back to their original place under Biden, which has shown that they want to foster a more active relationship with his ancestors. He said at CNN town hall earlier this year that he had spoken to all but one former president alive – perhaps Trump, though he did not sign.
“All but one of them have picked up the phone and called me,” he told Anderson Cooper.
These kinds of consultations were largely absent during Trump’s tenure, which rarely – if ever – spoke with the men in office before him. The one time the group came together, for the funeral of former President George HW Bush at the National Cathedral in Washington, it was a rather frigid reception.
Trump broke a further desert by boycotting Biden’s consecration, choosing to leave Washington on the morning of Jan. 20 with a reception at Andrews Joint Base.
He left a note for Biden, who the President described as “very generous,” but otherwise has been harshly complaining about the person who followed him in statements that exploded his -out of its Florida headquarters.
CNN’s Dan Merica contributed to this report.