Highlights:
Lake Shared An Anti-Trump Meme Claiming Trump Was “Not My President” Just Days Before His Inauguration. According to Fox News, “An Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate backed by Donald Trump shared a post on Facebook stating that Trump was ‘Not My President’ just days before the former president's inauguration in 2017. The anti-Trump post from Kari Lake's account read, ‘Will you be protesting the inauguration? If so, which of these suggestions will you adopt? Will you boycott TV coverage? Wear black? Donate money the ACLU, NAACP or Planned Parenthood? Use the hashtag #NotMyPresident? Will you unfollow Donald Trump?’ After Fox News Digital requested a statement from the Kari Lake for Governor campaign, the post disappeared from her page.” [Fox News, 7/20/20]
Lake Held An Anti-Mask Rally At Arizona State University To Defy The University’s Face Mask Requirement, Saying During The Rally, “Who Is Sick And Tired Of This Crap?” According to NBC 12 News, “A defiant Kari Lake challenged Arizona State University's new face mask requirement during an outdoor rally Friday at the school's Tempe campus. ‘Who is sick and tired of this crap?’ said the former TV news anchor turned Republican candidate for governor. Lake dangled a face mask from her raised left hand and then stepped on it, as the crowd cheered. She later told the crowd of about 100, ‘Take the mask and tell Michael Crow to shove it.’ Crow, the president of ASU, later told 12 News he's never spoken to Lake.” [NBC 12 News, 8/15/21]
Trump: “If It’s Necessary, I Would Urge Them To Wear A Mask And I Would Say Follow The Guidelines.” According to Politico, “President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Americans to wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a full reversal of his initially dismissive attitude toward face coverings. During an interview, CBS News’ Catherine Herridge asked the president whether there should be a federal mandate on wearing masks or if it should be left to governors to decide. Trump responded that governors go by guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ‘that’s good.’ When asked whether he would urge Americans to wear masks, Trump replied: ‘If it‘s necessary, I would urge them to wear a mask and I would say follow the guidelines.’” [Politico, 7/14/20]
Lake Questioned The Efficacy Of COVID-19 Vaccines. According to CNN, “So far, Trump has made no effort to distance himself from candidates who undermine his pro-vaccine message. He praised Lake at his Arizona rally on January 15, just days after the GOP gubernatorial candidate said she ‘wonder[s] about the efficacy of the vaccine’ during a podcast interview.” [CNN, 1/31/22]
Trump Urged People To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine Which He Called A “Great” And “Safe Vaccine.” According to CBS News, “Former President Trump again urged people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying he would recommend vaccination to ‘a lot of people that don't want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me.’ In an interview Tuesday night on Fox News, Mr. Trump acknowledged that people were free to decide for themselves whether they would be vaccinated against the virus. ‘We have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works,’ he said. Mr. Trump has promoted the vaccination before. When he appeared Feb. 28 at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, he said, ‘Everybody, go get your shot.’” [CBS News, 3/17/21]
Trump: “I Think If We Didn’t Come Up During The Trump Administration With The Vaccine, You Could Have 100 Million People Dead.” According to the New York Post, “Former President Donald Trump said that if not for his COVID-19 vaccine effort, Operation Warp Speed, 100 million people might have died from the bug, saying he’s ‘very proud’ of his efforts to get Americans jabbed. ‘I think if we didn’t come up during the Trump administration with the vaccine, you could have 100 million people dead, just like you had in 1917,’ Trump said in an interview on Fox News that aired Saturday night.” [New York Post, 8/8/21]
Lake Said She Had “Enough Concern About The Vaccine” To Not Take It. According to ABC News, “As the midterm primary season approaches, several Republicans running for state or national office are either refusing to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status or advertising that they haven't received a shot, even as former President Donald Trump calls on his followers to get the vaccine. […] In Arizona, a gaggle of Trump-backed and Trump-aligned candidates have been more explicit in their opposition to vaccines. Former television anchor Kari Lake, who Trump endorsed in the state's gubernatorial primary, said recently that she has ‘enough concern about the vaccine’ to not take it.” [ABC News, 2/16/22]
Trump Received The COVID-19 Vaccine At The White House. According to CBS News, “Mr. Trump and former first lady Melania Trump got vaccinated privately at the White House in January, while other top GOP officials, including Vice President Pence, got the shot on television in a public show of support. Mr. Trump hasn't publicly mentioned that he was inoculated.” [CBS News, 3/17/21]