U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has a message for evangelical Christians who are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
CNN’s Jake Tapper noted on Sunday a recent poll showed almost 3 in 10 white evangelical Christians said they will “definitely not” get the vaccine.
He asked Buttigieg why he thinks it is so many white evangelical Christians are reluctant to get vaccinated and what his message is to them.
“Sometimes I’ve heard people, people I care about, saying, you know, ‘If I’m faithful, God’s going to take care of me.’ And I guess what I would hope they might consider is that maybe a vaccine is a part of God’s plan for how you’re going to take care of yourself,” Buttigieg said.
He added, “I have to admit it’s unlikely that an official like me is going to be persuasive to somebody who maybe doesn’t feel like Washington’s been speaking to them for a long time but this is where faith leaders can make such a difference.”
Watch his comments below:
Pete Buttigieg's message to vaccine hesitant evangelicals: "Sometimes I've heard people, people I care about, say, 'if I'm faithful, God's gonna take care of me.' What I would hope they might consider is that maybe a vaccine is a part of God's plan." pic.twitter.com/Z89wIrmhAD
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 11, 2021
President Joe Biden called on faith leaders earlier this month to help the administration fight vaccine hesitancy, as IJR reported.
“They’re going to listen to your words, more than they are me, as president of the United States,“ Biden said.
He recognized faith leaders have been “critical partners to us in our COVID response” and urged them to “spread the word, let people in our communities and your community know how important is to get everyone vaccinated when it’s their turn. And soon they’ll just be able to just line up and just get their name on a list.”
The president suggested fighting vaccine hesitancy is “the godly thing to do.”