Chris Hayes calls out 'cowards' Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson for vaccine rhetoric

All In With Chris Hayes opened Thursday with some harsh words for those in right-wing media, specifically former President Donald Trump and Fox News opinion host Tucker Carlson. Many in right-wing media have seemingly worked to vilify the efforts to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. Carlson has repeatedly disparaged the vaccines and questioned their safety, despite the overwhelming evidence that they are saving lives. Trump was secretly vaccinated while still in office, and has on occasion urged his supporters to do the same. But Hayes believes Trump could do more.

“The exiled former president has occasionally, half-heartedly made that argument, telling the crowd at CPAC in February, quote, ‘Everybody go get your shot.’ But he's not really leaning into it,” Hayes said. “At the end of the day, he's just as scared of the anti-vaxxers in the base as the rest of his party, the rest of the conservative movement.”

Hayes then included Carlson in his fiery rant.

“All of them, from Donald Trump to Tucker Carlson, are cowards when it comes down to it,” Hayes said. “They're just chasing after the base, they're chasing the base. They're not leading. They're not telling them things they don't want to hear.”

Video Transcript

[WHOOSH]

CHRIS HAYES: You continue to see this very worrying, dangerous trend. The right wing media. You saw some of it there.

People in the most conservative parts of the country turning against the vaccine. And the leaders of this movement are cowardly.

KYLIE MAR: On "All in With Chris Hayes" Thursday, Hayes tore into right-wing media and personalities for the rhetoric many use, discouraging their audience from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Though former President Donald Trump was quietly vaccinated while still in office, and has on occasion urged his supporters to do the same, he's called him out for not doing more.

CHRIS HAYES: The exiled former president has occasionally half-heartedly made that argument, telling the crowd at CPAC in February, quote, "everybody go get your shot." But he's not really leaning into it. At the end of the day, he's just as scared of the anti-vaxxers in the base and the rest of his party, the rest the conservative movement.

KYLIE MAR: Hayes then included Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who has repeatedly for months disparaged the vaccines and questioned their safety, despite overwhelming evidence that the vaccines are saving lives.

CHRIS HAYES: All of them from Donald Trump to Tucker Carlson are cowards when it comes down to it. They're just chasing after the base. They're chasing the base. They're not leading. They're not telling them things they don't want to hear.

KYLIE MAR: And as COVID cases continue to rise in areas of the country with low vaccination rates, Hayes had a suggestion for what Trump could do to vaccinate his base.

CHRIS HAYES: They should be hosting MAGA rallies with mass vaccinations and a free MAGA hat with every shot. They could do that if they wanted to. They could. They could do it tomorrow. Instead, they chose the path of least resistance. They chose to play into the paranoia and the opposition, the nihilism, that is increasingly at the beating heart of this political movement.