Former President Donald Trump recently took credit on social media for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. His administration’s Operation Warp Speed did help quicken the development of the vaccines, which have saved many lives, so naturally the post set off a wave of resentment and panic in right-wing media.

One of many contradictions in the modern conservative movement is that Trump, the “god emperor” who can do no wrong, is partially responsible for COVID-19 vaccinations, the subject of countless conspiracy theories related to mind control, genocide, and more. 

This has been an ongoing messaging struggle for right-wing media, which is broadly and deeply devoted to both ideas -- to the point of effectively granting Trump a mulligan for COVID-19 vaccines supposedly killing “20 million people worldwide” (they haven’t).

“If Trump tries some experimental shot again on the population,” warned conspiracy theorist and Trump supporter Alex Jones, “I’m going to come out against him. 

“I know the enemy’s coming after him, I know he’s a good guy, I know he means well,” Jones protested, “but these shots have killed 20 million people worldwide.” 

“They’re total garbage,” he said of the COVID-19 vaccines, and Trump bragging about them “made me physically sick.”

And yet, “I don’t feel guilty supporting Trump,” Jones said. “In my spirit, God tells me to and I can see the evidence of why I should. But my gut also tells me, if he does any more of this, well I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“I know he believes in what he’s doing and has incredible courage,” Jones said, winding up some slovenly praise, “and I only admire him for his energy and his stalwartness and his charisma and his courage and his dedication.” 

“And that’s what makes it so painful,” he lamented.

On X, several popular right-wing accounts made similar complaints. QAnon promoter Tracy Diaz said that “the amount of anger I have over this can’t be quantified in words,” but later added that “my vote is going to be for Donald Trump in November - but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to continue to scream from the rooftops for accountability. I won’t be silenced.”

Diaz was responding to a post from Michael Flynn Jr., son of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, saying that Trump “got it completely wrong on the COVID vaccine,” but he is still “the right man for the job at this moment in history.”

Beyond the clunky balancing act, some in right-wing media have expressed fear that this contradiction could cost Trump the 2024 election. The thinking goes that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could draw enough anti-vax Trump support to hand President Joe Biden another term -- ironic, given that right-wing media massively boosted Kennedy’s profile as a spoiler candidate against Biden for the Democratic nomination. 

The love affair broadly ended when Kennedy dropped out of the primary and declared his independent candidacy, thereby also becoming a threat to Trump. But his popularity among conservative media audiences remained. 

“If you’re going to put up a Truth Social post that can be viewed as you taking credit for the vaccine,” warned Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, “there is a potential political cost to that.” 

Kirk cited the 1992 presidential election as precedent, when independent candidate Ross Perot won 18.9% of the vote, allowing Bill Clinton to win the presidency with an unusually low 43% support. “There are millions of voters that look at the vaccine issue as a highly personal issue,” he warned, “that they will not vote for a candidate” who supports them, not even Trump.

“Center-right moms” worried about “the mRNA gene-altering shot described as a COVID vaccine” could be a particular vulnerability for Trump, Kirk said, advising that “with RFK on the ballot, you cannot dismiss this coalition. You cannot dismiss these voters.” 

His concerns are not entirely unfounded. Right-wing media -- including Kirk -- have promoted Kennedy specifically for his vaccine misinformation, sometimes for years. And Kennedy himself took note of Trump’s post, striking several anti-vaccine themes that should be familiar to pro-Trump audiences.

“Be careful about poking the third-party bear,” warned the bear-poker.