Former President Donald Trump.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
- Trump urged his supporters to “rise up” against more possible vaccine mandates
- His words come on the eve of the first anniversary of the insurrection
- The US is also facing a surge of COVID-19 cases
Former President Donald Trump called on his supporters to “rise up” against possible vaccine mandates for “school-aged children” on the eve of the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection led by his supporters.
“Now, there’s talk by the Biden Administration again about closing schools and even vaccine mandates for school children,” Trump said in a statement released by his Save America PAC. “This is an outrage, and MAGA nation should rise up and oppose this egregious federal government overreach.”
Trump’s statement pointed to news reports that the Detroit Public Schools Community District could impose a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all students before the start of the next school year. The district, Michigan’s largest, currently has a vaccine mandate for staff that will go into effect next month, local station WXYZ reports. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told the station the mandate could be extended to students if it passes a legal review.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans age five and older receive a COVID-19 shot. Vaccine mandates for public school students are typically enforced at the state level. According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, all 50 states have various requirements for other vaccinations for public school students.
The US is currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, which has prompted healthcare experts to once again stress the importance of getting vaccinated.
On the morning of January 6, 2021, Trump spoke to his supporters who had gathered for a rally that cast doubt on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. At one point, Trump urged attendees to “fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” This particular line played a major part in his second impeachment and was referenced throughout the subsequent Senate trial.
Trump was scheduled to hold a press conference on Thursday, but canceled it after some Republican lawmakers expressed unease at the split-screen between a solemn ceremony in Washington and an expected rehashing of the widely debunked lie that Trump won the 2020 election. Legal experts also told Insider that it was a bad idea.
Instead, Trump will be interviewed Wednesday night by conservative radio and TV host Glenn Beck.
Read the original article on Business Insider 
