As a journalist, I believe in giving credit where it’s due.
Six months into his administration, President Joe Biden should be applauded for making a huge dent in the COVID pandemic.
He inherited an effective vaccine from President Donald Trump, took it into his arms, and ran with it.
The success of this approach has been obvious. Serious deaths and hospitalizations (the most important COVID data) have collapsed.
Meanwhile, Biden’s approval numbers have been high, despite a bitter election and a polarizing political environment.
The recent Real Clear Politics average has him with a 52 percent job approval, against a disapproval of 43 percent – a nine-point positive spread.
And the IBD/TIPP poll, one of the most accurate of the 2020 election, has him even better with 54 percent approval – a 16-point positive spread against his 38 percent disapproval.
I personally like what Biden has done with the vaccine. He started by embracing the Trump-backed vaccine.
I heard that in the early days of the administration, Biden himself was on a call discussing the rollout of the vaccine with some at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and others, wanting delays in the rollout.
Biden himself would have none of it. He took charge in the call and said there would be no delay.
After that, Biden pushed for relaxed mask and social distancing guidelines from the CDC, to the consternation of "lockdown" Democratic governors like Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gavin Newsom of California.
And rightfully, his White House has pushed back against calls for mandatory vaccinations (which has little public support; even the major teachers unions oppose such a move).
The bottom line: The vaccines are safe and effective. More than 3.6 billion shots have been given worldwide, and some 338 million here in the U.S. alone.
Meanwhile, deaths caused by the coronavirus have fallen to record lows, with almost negligible side effects to those vaccinated.
At Newsmax, we have strongly advocated for the public to be vaccinated.
The many medical experts who have appeared on our network have been near unanimous in support of the vaccine.
I myself have gotten the Pfizer vaccine.
There’s no question in my mind, countless lives would have been saved if the vaccine was available earlier.
I think of my friend, the late Herman Cain, who entered the hospital the same week his new weekly show began airing on Newsmax. In a great loss to the country, he passed away shortly thereafter.
So far, Biden’s success as president is all about COVID – not only with the vaccine, but also his push for ample and popular stimulus packages.
His success is also about Donald Trump.
Biden could have distanced himself from the vaccine since his political nemesis had been key for its creation.
Instead, Biden did the right thing and embraced Trump’s work – and built upon it to the betterment of the country. He also benefited politically.
When we have witnessed Biden fumble, it usually has to do with him rejecting Trump’s work.
We have seen this with Biden’s policies at the border. By rejecting Trump’s border security policies, Biden has created chaos there.
Biden would be wise to build upon Trump’s positive achievements in rebuilding the military and his visionary concept of a Space Force; his strong advocacy of fair-trade deals with China and others, a policy that resonated with many Democratic union workers; Trump’s unbelievable success in creating a new Arab-Israeli paradigm as a united front against Iran; and his sweeping tax and deregulation policies that have spurred strong economic growth.
Instead, Biden unravels Trump’s achievements in those areas at his political peril. For the moment, we as Americans can applaud President Biden’s success with the vaccine rollout.
It is saving countless lives – and that is a good thing.
Christopher Ruddy is CEO of Newsmax Media, Inc., a leading news company that operates Newsmax TV and Newsmax.com. Read more Christopher Ruddy Insider articles — Click Here Now.
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