December 11, 2020
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued the following statement today on Donald Trump’s threat to the FDA about vaccine approval:
“Donald Trump’s threat today to fire the head of the FDA for not immediately approving a COVID-19 vaccine is another low mark in the way his administration has grotesquely mismanaged the national response to the pandemic.
“Instead of letting respected and renowned medical experts do their jobs to ensure protection for all Americans, the president decided again to make himself the center of attention. He again completely disregards the need for safety and confidence in development of a vaccine.
“Continuing to inject politics threatens the assurances that are necessary to gain widespread public confidence and acceptance of all measures that can bring this deadly pandemic to an end.
“The single biggest threat to public safety in our country is Donald Trump and those who aid and abet his dangerous tactics. Fortunately, he will be out of office in a few weeks. The nation can then return to relying on medical and scientific experts – and not a willfully ignorant and uncaring president – to make the important judgements on matters of life and death.”
Mike Kreidler is Washington state’s insurance commissioner. He holds a master’s degree in public health from UCLA.