Secretly, Donald Trump And His Wife Have Been Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Donald Trump dan Melania Trump. (Wikimedia Commons: Andrea Hanks/The White House)

JAKARTA - Former US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump have secretly received the COVID-19 vaccine.

A Trump adviser told CNN on Monday that Trump and Melania received the COVID-19 vaccine at the White House in January. It's not clear which vaccine or how many doses each received.

The revelations come after former President Donald Trump urged his followers to be vaccinated against the virus during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday.

"How painless the shot of the vaccine is, so everyone goes to receive the shot", Trump said.

The push marks an important change because Trump, during his tenure, has long brushed off the severity of the virus and avoided practices such as social distancing and wearing masks.

Earlier, a White House official said in mid-December that Trump would not be given a coronavirus vaccine until recommended by a White House medical team.

The official said Trump was still benefiting from the monoclonal antibodies he received during his recovery from COVID-19 in early autumn when he and his wife tested positive for the virus.

Trump's decision to quietly accept the vaccine, without public fanfare, stands in stark contrast to his successors and predecessors. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were each vaccinated on live television in December.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton volunteered in December to get their Covid-19 vaccine on camera to increase public confidence in the vaccine's safety. Former President Jimmy Carter has also been inoculated to fight the virus.