WASHINGTON — They’re a source of frustration. A risk to their fellow citizens. A threat to the nation’s economic recovery.
President Joe Biden is trying to concentrate the anger of the nation’s inoculated majority against the refusal of 25% of eligible Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Nearly eight months after declaring war on the coronavirus as he took office, Biden announced far-reaching new federal requirements Thursday that could force millions to get shots. In doing so, he embraced those who haven’t rolled up their sleeves as a new obstacle amid a devastating surge in cases that is straining the nation’s health system and constricting its economy.
“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Biden said from the State Dining Room. “And your refusal has cost all of us.”
The unvaccinated minority, he added, “can cause a lot of damage, and they are.”
The speech marked the starkest public airing of Biden’s own frustrations over the direction of the COVID-19 pandemic and a striking departure from his familiar talk of national healing. In essence, he scolded a minority of the country for holding back the majority. And he had especially harsh words for public officials who have stoked or exploited vaccine fears for political gain.
“A distinct minority of Americans, supported by a distinct minority of elected officials, are keeping us from turning the corner,” Biden said. “These pandemic politics are making people sick, causing unvaccinated people to die.”
Biden’s forceful posture reflected a calculus that far more Americans will support his action than will be drawn to the visceral anger that some on the right directed at his announcement — evidenced, in his view, by the fact that a supermajority of the country has already been vaccinated.
It was also driven by self-interest, as Biden tries to defend his own job performance on the issue most important to voters.
The resurgence of the virus has sent his poll numbers to the lowest point yet of his presidency. An AP-NORC poll conducted in August found that 54% of Americans approved of Biden’s stewardship of the pandemic, down from 66% the month before, driven by a drop in support among Republicans and political independents.
The drop in approval has coincided with a summer backslide in the fight against the virus. Biden blamed the spiking cases for August’s slower-than-expected job growth and warned the nation could continue to face economic headwinds if it doesn’t get the virus under control.
It was just two months ago that Biden prematurely declared the nation’s “independence” from the pandemic. Now, despite more than 75% of Americans having at least one dose of vaccine, the U.S. is seeing about 300% more new COVID-19 infections a day, about 2¼ times more hospitalizations, and nearly twice the number of deaths compared to the same time last year.
Still, he predicted, with most Americans vaccinated, the human toll won’t exceed last winter’s carnage.
Speaking directly to the fears of Americans who have received a dose, Biden said, “For the vast majority of you who’ve gotten vaccinated, I understand your anger at those who haven’t gotten vaccinated. I understand the anxiety about getting a breakthrough case.”
White House officials maintain Biden isn’t trying to stoke anger in a vacuum but said he hopes that reflecting the irritation of the nation’s majority — combined with new vaccine requirements — will serve as a productive step toward getting the virus back in check. Defeating the virus, they argue, now requires defeating the reluctance of the 80 million people who have yet to get a shot.
The White House is gearing up for legal challenges and believes that even if some of the mandates are tossed out, millions of Americans will get a shot because of the new requirements — saving lives and preventing the spread of the virus.
Biden has found unusual allies in the business community, which is eager for a return to normalcy after 18 months of pandemic disruption. They may not like Biden’s proposed tax increases, but they appear to have bought into his argument that the nation can ill afford to allow the unvaccinated to “undo” progress on strengthening the economy.