White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about this year’s Covid vaccine, and to hear Donald Trump’s chief spokesperson tell it, the public has nothing to worry about. The New York Times reported:
Leavitt … [was] … asked if the president believes the coronavirus vaccine, in which he has repeatedly expressed pride, should be covered broadly by insurance. She said that even though the F.D.A. revoked emergency youth authorizations for the vaccines on Wednesday, making some of them unavailable for children under 5, Covid vaccines would still be available for people who want them.
After insisting that she felt the need to “correct the record because there’s been a lot of misinformation,” Leavitt specifically told reporters: “The FDA’s decision does not affect the availability of Covid vaccines for Americans who want them. We believe in individual choice. That’s a promise both the president and the secretary [Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] have made, and it’s a promise they have now delivered on.”
Q: Does Trump believe the Covid vaccine should be available for all Americans?Leavitt: "The FDA's decision does not affect the availability of Covid vaccines for individuals who want them. We believe in individual choice."
— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2025-08-28T17:59:49.490Z
At first blush, that might’ve sounded encouraging to much of the public. The White House supports “individual choice,” and so those who want to protect themselves this fall will be able to do so.
The trouble is, Leavitt’s answer left out some important details. The New York Times explained in a separate report:
The threat of Covid infections has not gone away, but the vaccines that help protect against them will be harder to come by this season. Under President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal health officials have limited who qualifies for Covid shots. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated versions only for people who are 65 or older and people who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk. The administration hasn’t made much of an effort to explain why it’s imposing these restrictions on the public, but the restrictions will be in place anyway — suggesting Leavitt’s “individual choice” comment came with some fine print. In the Biden era, practically every American could easily get a Covid shot, but those assuming that those policies are still in place in 2025 are going to be surprised. The Times’ report added, “Healthy adults under 65 may have to jump through hoops to get a shot, if they are able to get one at all. The same is true for healthy children, the youngest of whom are at high risk of Covid complications simply by virtue of their age.” If Leavitt knew all of this, she kept the details to herself.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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