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Joe Biden falsely claims to CNN town hall that just two million Americans had received COVID vaccine when he took over from Donald Trump - even though the actual figure was 16 million

  President Joe Biden has falsely claimed that just two million Americans had received a COVID vaccine when he replaced Donald Trump, even t...

 President Joe Biden has falsely claimed that just two million Americans had received a COVID vaccine when he replaced Donald Trump, even though the true figure was eight times higher - 16 million.

At a CNN town hall Thursday evening, the president claimed: 'When I first was elected, there were only two million people who had COVID shots in the United States of America.

'Now we got 190 million because I went out and bought everything I could do and buy in sight and it worked,' he claimed.

But according to the Associated Press, the COVID-19 vaccines were still awaiting emergency authorization when Biden was first elected in November, and the first shots were administered to the public in mid-December, during Trump's final month in the White House. 

By the time he was inaugurated, the Associated Press reports, nearly 16 million doses had been administered.

The Associated Press has ruled that President Joe Biden lied when he claimed at a CNN town hall Thursday night that just two million Americans had received the COVID vaccine when he came into office - the real number was 16 million 

The first shots were administered in the final months of former President Donald J. Trump's presidency - in mid-December

The first shots were administered in the final months of former President Donald J. Trump's presidency - in mid-December

It is also not true that the president bought the vaccines, the Associated Press said, as former President Donald Trump's administration had purchased 300 million doses of COVID vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna in December, weeks before Biden's inauguration. 

The Trump administration's vaccine plan fell short of its goals and suffered from disarray out of the gate, with less than half of the 36 million doses distributed to the states by the federal government being administered.

But Biden himself stumbled in his plan to vaccinate 70 per cent of eligible Americans by July 4, with the surging Delta variant infecting people who'd had the shot, sewing distrust among those who hadn't.

There were also concerns about links between vaccines and extremely rare, but potentially deadly, heart inflammation in young men, although the vast majority of people have received a shot without any serious side effects.  

As of Thursday, roughly 66 percent of all eligible Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease control, and 57.2 percent were fully vaccinated.

Even so, the AP reports, the plan set the stage for an acceleration of vaccinations that did not happen solely because Biden 'went out and bought everything I could do.'

In its fact-check, the Associated Press noted the 300 million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were purchased under the Trump administration - not Biden

In its fact-check, the Associated Press noted the 300 million Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were purchased under the Trump administration - not Biden 


The fact-check comes after the president tried to defend his stance on vaccine mandates at a CNN town hall in Baltimore.  

The U.S. has lagged behind other wealthy nations in vaccinating people against COVID-19.

A series of mandates for federal workers and for companies with more than 100 staff triggered angry protests and reports of people being fired or resigning in protest.

'Two things that concern me,' he said. 'One, are those who just try to make this a political issue - freedom. "I have the freedom to kill you with my COVID."

'Come on.'

Then he criticized what he called 'misinformation' about the death of former Secretary of State Colin Powell that focused on the fact he was fully vaccinated. 

'Well he knew he had serious underlying conditions, and it would be difficult,' said Biden. 

'He clearly would have been gone earlier had he not gotten the vaccine.' 


The town hall also served as a chance for Biden to provide an update on talks to break the deadlock on his mammoth social spending plans

The town hall also served as a chance for Biden to provide an update on talks to break the deadlock on his mammoth social spending plans 

He greeted some attendees during a break in the town hall with Anderson Cooper

He greeted some attendees during a break in the town hall with Anderson Cooper 

Biden says cops SHOULD be fired for not being vaccinated
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The town hall with Anderson Cooper also served as a chance for Biden to provide an update on talks to break the deadlock on his mammoth social spending plans.

At the start of the night he was quizzed on his plans for a multi trillion dollar social spending plan, which is currently deadlocked in Washington. 

Progressives want to push through a massive overhaul of social spending while centrists - Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin - are pushing to reduce the price of the bill from its original $3.4 trillion.

Biden offered the centrists a concession, backing away from a corporate tax hike to pay for his Build Back Better agenda. 

Host Anderson Cooper pressed him on whether he would be able to push through a proposed increase in corporate take to help fund trillions of dollars in new spending. 

'No, I don't think we're going to be able to get the votes,' he said.

He had wanted an increase in the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent for the biggest companies, triggering warnings that it could hamper growth and that the costs would be passed on to workers and consumers.   

President Biden appeared at a CNN town hall on Thursday evening, and announced he was scaling back his spending plans and would not need to ramp up corporate tax

President Biden announced at the town hall he was scaling back his spending plans and would not need to ramp up corporate tax

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia

Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin want Biden's ambitious social package scaled back and Biden cannot afford to lose their votes in the Senate

Biden has reduced parental paid leave to four weeks
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Biden also faced questions about whether he could bring around the holdouts in his own party, particularly Manchin, but expressed optimism that he was close to deal after weeks of intra-party bickering.

'I think so, you know, look ... I was a senator for 370 years,' the 78 year-old quipped, triggering laughter. 

'I was relatively good at putting together deals.'

Manchin, he added, would fall into line.

'Joe's not a bad guy,' said Biden. 'He's a friend and he's always the end of the day come around.'  

But he pushed back at one of Manchin's proposals that parents and other caregivers meet a work requirement before receiving a child tax credit.

'No, here's the deal. All these people are working anyway,' he said, as he signaled that he wanted to target the wealthy.

'And by the way, you know, why should somebody who is not working, and has, you know, makes has a million dollar trust fund, why should they get the benefit?' 

Overall, he said, the aim was to get the bill done and worry about what had been left out later. 

'I'm prepared to do the things that we can get done now, that can begin to change the lives of ordinary Americans to give them a fighting chance and come back and try to get others later,' he said.

As Biden seeks a final agreement in coming days, questions have emerged about whether some of his most oft-cited promises, like raising taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans might have to be dropped to ensure passage of the spending bill 

Biden also explained that he had reduced his vision for paid parental leave. 

'It is down to four weeks,' he said. 'I can't get 12 weeks.'

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