Lindsey Graham urged Trump to encourage supporters to get vaccinated

• South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he asked former President Donald Trump to be more outspoken in encouraging his supporters to get vaccinated.
• The senator shared on Twitter that he and Trump had already taken the vaccine.
• The senator has been campaigning in support of the vaccine, saying that it prevented him from having severe symptoms when he got infected.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that he has “urged” former President Donald Trump to use his influence and be more vocal in encouraging his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The South Carolina senator told Associated Press that he asked Trump “to be aggressive and say, ‘Take the vaccine,’” adding that vaccines are “the antidote to the virus that’s wreaking havoc on our hospitals.”

Graham tweeted on Thursday, “President Trump has taken the vaccine. I’ve taken the vaccine. If you are unvaccinated, I would encourage you to take the vaccine as well.”

The senator confirmed on Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 just days after he attended a houseboat gathering hosted by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). All attendees were vaccinated, said Graham.

Graham said he experienced symptoms later that night. Over the last weekend, he felt “achy and kind of yucky.” He told AP, “It went from sort of a mild sinus infection until just a full-blown, feeling like crap” on Monday and Tuesday.

Graham tweeted on Monday, “I feel like I have a sinus infection and at present time I have mild symptoms. I will be quarantining for ten days. I am very glad I was vaccinated because without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now. My symptoms would be far worse.”

The senator believes that he would have had more severe symptoms were he not vaccinated back in December 2020.

Trump received the vaccine back in January but has been less vocal about it. Last month, however, he remarked that the vaccine was “gonna save the world.”

Meanwhile, Graham has made it a point to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated. In April, he stopped by a clinic in his home state to encourage his constituents to get the vaccine.

Graham said at the time, “I’ve got a simple message: I’ve been vaccinated. I’m glad I did. If you haven’t been vaccinated, get vaccinated. As soon as we get all of our folks vaccinated as much as possible you hit about 80%, the quicker we can get back to normal. I think the vaccine is safe. I think it is effective.”

Graham told AP that he acknowledges how some Americans see vaccination as a kind of “sacrifice.” But he then pointed out, “No one’s being asked to go off to fight radical Islam or fight a foreign enemy. We’re being asked to make responsible medical decisions. Take the vaccine.”

Source: PEOPLE