Donald Trump's Stopped Talking About His 'Greatest' Accomplishment

Donald Trump no longer touts one of his key accomplishments he once flaunted as one of the "greatest miracles in the history of modern-day medicine."

Trump has received bipartisan praise for his work on the COVID-19 vaccine, which was rolled out in less than one year after the virus first struck the United States, forcing widespread lockdowns and safety measures aimed at reducing its spread. After he left the White House in 2021, he frequently took credit for the vaccine rollout, known as "Operation Warp Speed."

However, he has shied away from highlighting the vaccines while campaigning for president ahead of the November election.

According to a Newsweek analysis of Trump's campaign rallies, his rhetoric on vaccines has shifted from taking credit for the COVID-19 vaccines to highlighting his opposition to vaccine and mask mandates, or simply avoiding discussing the pandemic at all during recent campaign stops.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email Tuesday morning.

The former president has at times found himself at odds with his conservative voter base on vaccinations. While Trump touts the vaccines as safe and effective and is vaccinated himself, many in the conservative movement have embraced anti-vaccination viewpoints and have decried the vaccine.

Public health experts have largely agreed with Trump that the vaccine is safe, though it has caused some side effects.

Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek not discussing the vaccine rollout may be a good idea when talking to his core supporters and other Republicans but makes less sense from a general election perspective, as it could bolster his image among moderate and Democratic voters.

"This was one of the few real successes in his leadership during the initial stages of the pandemic. Moderate and undecided voters are more likely to view that vaccine effort positively, so he could use it to argue that he does know how to make government 'work' when it's necessary," he said.

Discussing Operation Warp Speed would be more of a "plus" now that the election season has moved into the general, he said, noting the issue is unlikely to be a deciding factor among most anti-vaccine conservatives.

"So, I would think he'd be better served by not running away from it. Without appealing to the centrist voter in some way, he can't win," he said.

Meena Bose, the executive dean of Hofstra University's Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, told Newsweek it is "surprising" Trump does not discuss Operation Warp Speed more often.

"This reversal likely will hinder prospects for gaining support from undecided or independent voters," she said.

He last took credit for the vaccine rollout during a campaign rally in Robstown, Texas, on October 22, 2022.

"We did an incredible job with Operation Warp Speed, and all of the things in the therapeutics. We did an incredible job," he said at the time, while also praising the state's Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for opposing COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates.

However, in recent rallies, Trump has pledged that he would "not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate."

Trump's campaign previously clarified to Newsweek he was only referring to COVID-19 vaccines, rather than vaccination requirements that have been in place for decades.

During a 2021 rally in Cullman, Alabama, Trump faced boos from his supporters after encouraging them to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"That's okay, that's alright," Trump said, responding to the boos. "But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know. But it is working. You do have your freedoms, you have to maintain that."

He was later booed during a December 2021 event in which he revealed he received a COVID-19 booster shot. Still, he continued to discuss Operation Warp Speed at most of his rallies throughout mid-2022, when discussions of the vaccines turned from taking credit to focusing on opposing mandates.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump aide and co-host on The View pointed out this shift on Monday.

"The single greatest accomplishment of the Trump administration was Operation Warp Speed, and getting the vaccine, and he doesn't talk about it because he wants to appeal to anti-vaxxers on the right, and not take credit for what actually helped us get out of the pandemic," she said.

Trump addressed why he does not discuss the COVID-19 vaccines in a June 2023 interview with Fox News host Bret Baier.

"I really don't want to talk about it because, as a Republican, it's not a great thing to talk about, because for some reason it's just not," Trump said.

He also pointed out in that interview that his administration successfully rolled out the vaccine much quicker than experts believed the vaccines would be made available to Americans.

"As you know, I got them done in nine months, and it was supposed to take anywhere from five to 12 years. I broke their a**," Trump said. "And you know who doesn't like me too much? The FDA. Because they were very bureaucratic, and I got it done."

Update 4/5/2024 11:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.