Donald Trump Rose Garden Press Conference on COVID-19 Vaccine Transcript, November 13, 2020
President Donald Trump: Good afternoon. Thank you very much for being here. This is a great honor. Earlier today, I received a full update on the unprecedented progress being made under Operation Warp Speed, probably the greatest mobilization in this country’s history relative to what we’re doing. There’s never been anything like it with respect to getting something done that’s so important. Normally, a vaccine would take 8 to 12 years, sometimes even longer than that, and we’re going to have it done very quickly. We’re going to have it done in a very short period of time.
Under my administration, tens of millions of doses of safe and effective vaccines will be shipping out within the next few weeks. That’ll be an incredible achievement—tens of millions of doses going out over a period of time, starting within the next few weeks. We’ll begin with our most vulnerable citizens—our seniors, who are really in a class where they’ve been hit very hard—and our frontline heroes, our great frontline heroes, doctors, nurses, and others who have been so incredible during this pandemic.
This would not have happened without Operation Warp Speed. As you know, in July, my administration reached an agreement with Pfizer to provide $1.95 billion to support the mass manufacturing and distribution of 100 million doses, with an option to purchase a total of 600 million doses shortly thereafter. That was a big agreement, and it’s worked out well. Our investment will make it possible for the vaccine to be provided by Pfizer free of charge. It’s an incredible thing.
In addition, we’re far along with many other companies—Moderna and others—that are doing fantastically well, and we expect to have additional announcements very soon on those vaccines as well. We’re talking about things that are at a very high level and moving along very quickly. Distribution will be faster and more efficient than anyone thought possible, thanks to the incredible work of General Gustave Perna and our military, who have been so fantastic. It’s a massive undertaking—thousands and thousands of people involved—but it’s moving along incredibly well.
Right away, millions of doses will soon be going out the door. They’re ready to go as soon as the FDA gives its approval, which should be very soon—extremely soon. We’re not talking about a long time; we’re talking about something that’s going to happen quickly. This is a testament to American innovation, the brilliance of our scientists, the resilience of our workers, and the ingenuity of our private sector, which has been unleashed like never before.
This week, Pfizer announced that their vaccine—which we helped facilitate—was found to be over 90 percent effective, far exceeding expectations. That’s a number that nobody thought they’d hit so quickly or so easily, and it’s a tremendous tribute to the people working on it. And Moderna, as I said, is also coming along very well—potentially even better than that in some respects. We’ll see what happens, but it’s moving quickly.
This is a massive leap forward in our fight against the China virus. That’s what it is—it came from China, and we’re never going to forget that. But we’re making tremendous progress. I’m thrilled to report that as soon as April, the vaccine will be available to the entire general population—with the exception of places like New York State, where, for political reasons, the governor decided to say—and I don’t think it’s good politically; I think it’s very bad from a health standpoint—but he wants to take his time with the vaccine. He doesn’t trust the fact that it’s this White House, this administration, that’s getting it out there. So we won’t be delivering it to New York until we have authorization to do so, and that’s a shame because it’s going to hurt a lot of people. But we’re ready to go as soon as they say they’re ready.
For seven months, my administration has been working day and night to safely accelerate the development, manufacturing, and delivery of a vaccine. We’ve cut through bureaucracy like nobody has ever done before—red tape that would’ve taken years, we’ve gotten rid of it in weeks and months. We’ve done it safely, but we’ve done it quickly. This is a historic achievement that will save millions of lives and soon end the pandemic once and for all.
www.cbsnews.com
