Former Presidents Carter, Clinton, Bush and Obama and First Ladies Unite to Urge Americans to Get Vaccinated

The exclusive club of former presidents and first ladies have come together with an important message: get the COVID-19 vaccine. Former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump are absent from the campaign.

In the new “It’s Up To You” ad campaign, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and former First Ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama emphasize the importance of Americans getting the vaccine as soon as they are eligible.

There are two announcements in the new campaign. We show past presidents and first ladies receive their vaccines and share personal anecdotes, and another features Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama standing together in a direct speech to the American people.

“Soon they will be available to everyone,” Mr. Bush said of the vaccine at the start of the first announcement.

“This vaccine is synonymous with hope,” said Mr. Obama. “It will protect you and those you love from this dangerous and deadly disease.”

Mr Clinton says he wants to return to work, Mr Obama talks about being able to kiss Michelle’s mother and seeing her on her birthday and Mr Bush shares his excitement to attend opening day at Texas Rangers Stadium – at full capacity.

“I am getting the vaccine because we want this pandemic to end as soon as possible,” Carter said, although he does not appear in the video.

The announcement ends with images of former presidents and first ladies receiving their photos, ending with a smiling photo of Mr Carter holding his vaccine card.

The second ad features Mr. Bush, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama standing together at the Memorial Amphitheater at the Arlington National Ceremony. The three former presidents united in Arlington on January 20 to mark the inauguration of President Biden.

“The science is clear, these vaccines will protect you and those you love from this dangerous and deadly disease,” says Bush. “So, we urge you to get vaccinated when possible.”

“They could save your life,” adds Mr. Clinton.

“This is the first step in ending the pandemic and moving our country forward,” said Mr. Obama. “It’s yours.”

Mr. Trump and his wife did not participate in the campaign. Both received the coronavirus vaccine in January, but did not reveal they had been vaccinated until weeks after leaving the White House.

Public service announcements arrive just in time for the first anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic.

Reluctance to get vaccinated remains a critical issue in the United States, as the Biden administration ramps up efforts to vaccinate 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of President Biden’s tenure. Mr. Biden will deliver a first address in prime time to the nation on Thursday night, marking the anniversary of the pandemic.

More than 525,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

More than 93.7 million doses of vaccine were given on Tuesday and 123.2 million vaccines were issued, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 32 million Americans are fully immunized, and the United States now receives an average of more than 2 million vaccines administered per day.

Emergency use authorizations have so far been approved for the two-dose vaccines Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna and the single dose from Johnson & Johnson.