Donald Trump held a media event in the Rose Garden Friday afternoon talk about Operation Warp Speed. It’s a term he is using to signify fast-tracking a vaccine. Trump noted, “We’re looking to get it by the end of the year if we can, maybe before.” And he trotted out the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who made it clear this was about “winning.”
ESPER: “Winning matters and we will deliver by the end of this year a vaccine at scale.” (That’s a very bold promise.) pic.twitter.com/lKKEzBMCJp
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 15, 2020
The problem is no one was able to offer proof that a vaccine can be safely executed at “warp speed.” As NBC News reports, “experts say that the development, testing and production of a vaccine for the public is still at least 12 to 18 months off, and that anything less would be a medical miracle.”
Pres. Trump says he hopes to accelerate production of any potential vaccine: "We're gearing up. It's risky…But we'll be saving massive amounts of time."
Experts worry about U.S.'s ability to manufacture and distribute a vaccine on a mass scale: https://t.co/zfcAAtfNMq pic.twitter.com/LRBI29rbqj
— ABC News (@ABC) May 15, 2020
Could a vaccine be ready by the end of the year, as President Trump has suggested? @edyong209: “This particular administration has a track record of making exaggerated claims… Optimism isn’t going to deliver one; research will, and research takes a lot of time.” pic.twitter.com/KHw6PFGR8G
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) May 15, 2020
Trump also said, “I want to make one thing clear: Vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back. And, we are starting the process. In many cases, they don’t have vaccines and a virus or a flu comes and you fight through it.”
Trump: "Vaccine or no vaccine, we're back … You fight through it."
The president and his staff get tested every day. You don't. pic.twitter.com/YXhkSwD7yV
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) May 15, 2020
Currently more than 86,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and more than 1.4 million have tested positive. The deaths and infections began in the United States just three months ago.