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The previously unscheduled meeting comes as Trump and White House officials grow angry with the FDA chief over what they believe is a delayed approval of the coronavirus vaccine.
A source close to internal coronavirus conversations said officials believe Hahn has had ample time to approve the vaccine. A person familiar with the president’s thinking said part of his agitation is that he wants to get as many people vaccinated as possible before he leaves office in order to get the maximum bragging rights over this vaccination process.
“He wants to distribute as many vaccines as possible by January,” the person said. “He doesn’t want (President-elect Joe) Biden to get credit for it.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House press conference on Wednesday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Hahn’s meeting with Meadows was “normal for the course.”
“What I will say about Dr Hahn is that it is fitting for the Chief of Staff to meet with him as we try to save American lives with the vaccine in record time,” she said. .
The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN.
An FDA official expressed his displeasure that the White House did not seem to understand that there was a process.
“Let me be clear – our career scientists have to make the decision and they will take the time necessary to make the right appeal on this important decision,” Hahn said in the statement.
Pfizer applied for emergency use authorization on November 20. The emergency use clearance from the FDA is not the same as full approval, but allows products to be used in specific circumstances before all the evidence is available for approval, according to previous CNN reports.
The FDA has previously said it has scheduled a meeting of its external advisory group to discuss Pfizer and BioNTech’s request for emergency use authorization for a coronavirus vaccine on December 10.
Meadows and Hahn first met on Monday, after Meadows summoned him to the White House. Hahn requested that their meeting be held by phone, a source said, but the White House said the chief of staff preferred to meet in person.
CNN’s Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
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