Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trevor Noah and Jimmy Kimmel criticise Trump’s ‘really f***ing dumb’ decision to pass on additional Pfizer vaccines as UK begins rollout

Kimmel compared the US to the UK where a nationwide rollout is beginning

Annabel Nugent
Wednesday 09 December 2020 07:36 GMT
Comments
Trevor Noah: 'This is the end of the world'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Late-night hosts Trevor Noah and Jimmy Kimmel took aim at Donald Trump’s decision to pass on a chance to secure additional Pfizer vaccines for the US.

On Monday (7 December), it was reported that earlier this summer, the Trump administration had declined an opportunity to buy more of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.

The decision means that the company may not be able to deliver additional doses to the US beyond what has already been contracted until next summer due to commitments to other countries.

“This may seem like it was a dumb decision by Trump but, if you take a moment to think about it, you’ll realise it was a really f**king dumb decision by Trump,” said Noah on last night’s episode of The Daily Show (8 December).

Noah continued to express disappointment in America’s handling of the pandemic during his “Keeping Up with Corona” segment.

Similarly, on last night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! the talk show host also criticised Trump’s decision to forgo Pfizer’s offer.

Kimmel compared the US’s response to the UK, where the first Pfizer jab outside of a clinical trial was issued to Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Coventry, yesterday morning (8 December).

“You’d think they would’ve given it to the Queen first but I guess, no they wanted to try it out on someone who isn’t the Queen,” Kimmel quipped. “And Margaret, God bless her, didn’t seem the slightest bit nervous about it at all.”

Kimmel also mocked the president’s ongoing “Operation Warp Speed” executive order, which “seems to confuse even the guy running Warp Speed”.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

The administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” was created earlier this year as part of an effort to ramp up vaccine research and build a pathway to immediate nationwide distribution when a vaccination for the novel virus was found.

He went on to roast Jenna Ellis, another of Trump’s lawyers testifying against the results of the 2020 election, who has now tested positive for the coronavirus months after she questioned the legitimacy of the virus.

News of Ellis’s diagnosis comes only two days after Trump’s lead lawyer Rudy Giuliani was taken to hospital with Covid.

Kimmel joked: “I’m starting to think that the virus has a sense of humour around all of this.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in