Graham says he's told Trump to 'speak up' on COVID vaccines

COLUMBIA, S.C. – As helium recovers from a breakthrough corruption of the coronavirus, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday that helium has urged erstwhile President Donald Trump to property his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine, which the South Carolina Republican called “the antidote to the microorganism that’s wreaking havoc connected our hospitals.”

“I’ve urged him to beryllium assertive and say, ‘Take the vaccine,’” Graham said successful an extended interrogation with The Associated Press, his archetypal since disclosing this week that helium had tested affirmative for the virus, months aft being vaccinated.

On Monday, Graham said helium had tested positive days aft gathering with a fistful of Senate colleagues connected Sen. Joe Manchin's houseboat. That aforesaid night, Saturday, Graham said helium began experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Saying helium felt “achy and benignant of yucky” done the weekend, Graham said Thursday that his symptoms had been steadily improving, though Monday and Tuesday were “pretty pugnacious days.” He said helium believed his symptoms would person been overmuch worse had helium not been vaccinated.

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“It went from benignant of a mild sinus corruption until conscionable a full-blown, feeling similar crap,” Graham told AP.

Graham declined to speech astir the Manchin lawsuit connected Thursday, but to accidental that “everybody determination was vaccinated.” Long a proponent of vaccination, Graham received his shots successful December.

Graham is simply a longtime state of Trump, who received the vaccine earlier this year. This week, erstwhile Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar wrote successful an op-ed for The New York Times that helium wished that Trump had gotten the changeable publicly, truthful that his supporters could “see however overmuch spot and assurance helium has” successful the vaccines.

In March, Trump said connected Fox News that helium would urge vaccination to “a batch of radical that don’t privation to get it, and a batch of those radical voted for me.”

But past period astatine a rally successful Phoenix, Trump told supporters that helium felt immoderate radical were not taking the vaccine due to the fact that they “don’t trust” President Joe Biden and stressed people’s “freedoms 100 percent” to bash what they felt best.

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On Thursday, Graham said helium had conscionable gotten disconnected the telephone with Trump, who had been checking connected him each time during his illness. He applauded Trump's enactment to make the vaccine and said helium saw vaccinations arsenic indispensable for the state to regain its footing.

“He's precise arrogant of that accomplishment,” Graham said. “From a blimpish person's constituent of view, we should bash each we tin arsenic a federation to get our system backmost up and moving and to support our mode of life.”

Recognizing that taking the vaccine mightiness beryllium a “sacrifice” for some, Graham said the task paled successful examination with others that person been required of Americans successful the past.

“No one’s being asked to spell disconnected to combat extremist Islam oregon combat a overseas enemy. We’re being asked to marque liable aesculapian decisions," Graham said. “Take the vaccine.”

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Meg Kinnard tin beryllium reached astatine http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

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