President Joe Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, defended on Monday recent messaging from the president threatening unvaccinated Americans with death from the coronavirus.
“The truth is the truth,” Klain wrote on social media, sharing a comment from New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi about their messaging tactics.
The president continues to condemn unvaccinated Americans, accusing them of being responsible for spreading the coronavirus and overwhelming hospitals.
Last week, Biden falsely claimed that the vaccinated could not spread the virus, despite the Centers for Disease Control saying the opposite.
Biden kicked off his latest round of threats on Thursday, after meeting with his coronavirus advisory team.
“For unvaccinated: We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death if you’re unvaccinated,” Biden said. “For themselves, their family, and the hospital they’ll soon overwhelm.”
The White House signaled Biden would restate a similar message on Tuesday, as he is scheduled to address the pandemic and the rapid spread of the omicron variant.
“For those who choose to remain unvaccinated, he’ll issue a stark warning and make clear,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, previewing the speech at the daily briefing. “Unvaccinated individuals will continue to drive hospitalizations and deaths.”