Basically since the moment he took office, Trump's approach to his job has been to avoid criticism, no matter how warranted, and to take credit, no matter how inappropriate. The pandemic response has been a great example of that instinct, with McEnany's briefing Wednesday encapsulating it neatly.
For example, McEnany was asked about the United Kingdom moving forward with deployment of the vaccine developed by Pfizer.
"We will have 40 million doses by the end of the year, which is a tremendous achievement. Not just to have gotten a vaccine in this time, but to have produced 40 million in advance," she said. "It's having a businessman as president. It's the Trump vaccine."
Never mind that this is fewer doses than the administration had previously promised. The idea that the vaccine's development and deployment was solely a function of Trump is ridiculous. Pfizer, for example, declined a federal investment in the development of its vaccine, its CEO said in September, to avoid being mired in political disputes. Moderna, which did take federal money, began working on its vaccine in mid-January, back when Trump was dismissing out of hand the idea that the virus would pose any risk to the country.
How the United Kingdom has already begun deploying Pfizer's vaccine despite not having a businessman as prime minister remains unexplained.
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Fast forward to January if old