Just one week after being one of the first Americans to receive a dose of coronavirus vaccine, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio again attacked science and Dr. Anthony Fauci on Twitter.
The Republican lawmaker received swift backlash after his Sunday tweet, which read: “Dr. Fauci lied about masks in March. Dr. Fauci has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity.”
“It isn’t just him,” Rubio wrote. “Many in elite bubbles believe the American public doesn’t know ‘what’s good for them’ so they need to be tricked into ‘doing the right thing.'”
The responses Rubio received made it clear he’d raised some eyebrows.
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“You jumped the line as a politician to get the coronavirus vaccine before elderly patients with pre-existing conditions who need it the most,” Dr. Eugene Gu wrote. “Then you call Dr. Fauci and everyone else an elitist. You sir, have no shame.”
Journalist Jemele Hill retweeted Rubio, attaching a photo of him being vaccinated and writing, “This you getting the vaccine?”
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“Great hypocrite of the year criticized the advice from the nation’s top infectious disease but jumped ahead of frontline workers for the vaccine,” a user said in response to Hill’s tweet.
“Fauci didn’t know enough in March. Then scientific studies revealed more facts and he was changed by new information like I wish you would be,” comedian Sarah Silverman replied to Rubio.
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“I know I looked away from the needle,” Rubio tweeted as he was vaccinated Dec. 19. “And yes, I know I need a tan. But I am so confident that the #Covid19 vaccine is safe & effective that I decided to take it myself.”
The 49-year-old Rubio has regularly pushed back against measures to keep Americans safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. He regularly spoke at massive rallies during the 2020 presidential election cycle where attendees, including the senator, were largely maskless.
Tuesday morning, Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, described the coronavirus pandemic as one “that has just gotten out of control.”
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Two lawmakers, Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Ilhan Omar, have deferred on taking the vaccine ahead of other Americans.
“We are not more important then [sic] frontline workers, teachers etc. who are making sacrifices everyday,” Omar tweeted last week. “People who need it most, should get it. Full stop.”
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