NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Sunday that he was "dismayed" when followers of former President Donald Trump booed after Trump revealed he got a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot last week.
Between the lines: Trump was more vocal about his support for the vaccines last week, even pushing back against doubts about their efficacy during an interview with conservative media personality Candace Owens.
Although he is vaccinated himself, Trump has previously given mixed signals to his supporters on the shot.
Fauci said Trump's comments this week could persuade others to get the shot, saying that "we'll take anything we can get about getting people vaccinated."
What they're saying: "I was a bit dismayed when former President Trump came out and made that statement, and his followers booed him," Fauci told ABC's "This Week."
"I was stunned by that," he added. "I mean, given the fact of how popular he is with that group ... which tells me how recalcitrant they are about being told what they should do."
"I think that his continuing to say that people should get vaccinated and articulating that to them, in my mind, is a good thing. I hope he keeps it up."
