White House Vaccine Summit Proclaims Success Of Operation Warp Speed

Reuters: While Seeking Credit For Vaccine, Trump Says He May Invoke Defense Production Act
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would invoke the Defense Production Act if needed to ensure Americans are first in line for domestically produced coronavirus vaccines at a summit designed to give him and his team credit for speedy vaccine development. Trump made his remarks just before signing an executive order intended to ensure that priority access for COVID-19 vaccines procured by the U.S. government is given to the American people before assisting other nations. (Mason, 12/8)

Politico: ‘I Literally Don’t Know’: Operation Warp Speed Scientist Can’t Explain Trump’s Vaccine Order
The chief scientist of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed was unable to explain President Donald Trump’s latest executive order Tuesday, which aims to prioritize shipment of the coronavirus vaccine to Americans over other countries. Moncef Slaoui, who Trump tapped in May to head up the administration’s efforts to hasten vaccine development, appeared puzzled when asked to clarify the president’s order during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Frankly, I don’t know, and frankly, I’m staying out of this. I can’t comment,” Slaoui said. “I literally don’t know.” (Forgey, 12/8)

Stat: Trump Takes Vaccine Victory Lap At White House Summit 
President Trump on Tuesday took a victory lap at a White House “Summit” meant to celebrate his administration’s remarkable sprint to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, using the event to claim credit for the effort and deride the experts who initially expressed skepticism at the government’s hyper-aggressive timetable. (Facher, 12/8)

Politico: On Eve Of U.S. Vaccine Approval, Trump Cranks Up The Politics 
President Donald Trump on Tuesday gathered people at the White House to celebrate the "miracle" of a coronavirus vaccine. But the vaccine makers declined to attend. An introductory video tossed some of Trump’s own government scientists under the bus. And the man Trump tapped to help speed vaccine development spent the morning distancing himself from the executive order Trump signed at the event. (Niedzwiadek, 12/8)

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The Hill: Trump Officials Passed On 'Multiple' Offers To Buy More Pfizer Vaccine, Gottlieb Says 
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, now a member of the Pfizer board of directors, said Tuesday that the pharmaceutical giant offered the Trump administration the chance to buy additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine multiple times, but that officials turned down the offers. The comments from Gottlieb confirm a report in The New York Times, which on Monday revealed that additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine, beyond the 100 million already purchased, may not be available in the U.S. until June because they were committed to other countries after the Trump administration passed on them. (Sullivan, 12/8)

The Washington Post: Here’s Where Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Could Go Ahead Of More Doses For United States
Given the Trump administration’s big promises on vaccines, the prospect of limited supply and long waits in the United States will lead to questions about where those doses are going. Here is what we know so far. (Rauhala, 12/8)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Brags Of Vaccines, But Will He Promote The Shots?
Even as President Trump claims credit for the rapid development of vaccines against COVID-19, it remains unclear whether he will take the vaccine and how hard he’ll work to persuade skeptical followers to get immunized, particularly after he leaves office. Other former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — have publicly committed to taking the vaccine, which may be shipped out to medical centers and nursing homes as soon as this weekend. So have President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. (Levey and Megerian, 12/8)