[Goose]

I sincerely hope we get a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible.  I think generally, pushing all levers to move quickly in vaccine development has been the one aspect of the response to the pandemic for which Trump deserves praise.  But the potential for all this to turn sideways in order to meet an artificial deadline is substantial.  And rushing a vaccine to market that later is found to have safety concerns could cause lasting damage to the country's perception of vaccines.  Unfortunately, those might not be seen until well after the election.


BC

Totally agree. Additionally, a safe but ineffective (relatively, none is perfect) vaccine could have very negative consequences as well. We need to know what we are getting well enough to make decisions regarding reopening. That is one reason that Trump's public comments about the FDA approvals (or lack thereof) are so troubling. Other Presidents have attempted to influence the FDA, contrary to what has been said elsewhere on this board. However, it was always done via back channels and via third parties. How much success these attempts had is not knowable, because officially they never happened. By doing it in public, and by saying "good" or "bad" regarding FDA actions, at best Trump undermines the public perception of the FDA's objectivity. At worst, he actually coerces the FDA into doing things they wouldn't otherwise do. So far I think the FDA is still functioning objectively. Let's hope it stays that way.

[Goose]

I sincerely hope we get a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible.  I think generally, pushing all levers to move quickly in vaccine development has been the one aspect of the response to the pandemic for which Trump deserves praise.  But the potential for all this to turn sideways in order to meet an artificial deadline is substantial.  And rushing a vaccine to market that later is found to have safety concerns could cause lasting damage to the country's perception of vaccines.  Unfortunately, those might not be seen until well after the election.


BC

Totally agree. Additionally, a safe but ineffective (relatively, none is perfect) vaccine could have very negative consequences as well. We need to know what we are getting well enough to make decisions regarding reopening. That is one reason that Trump's public comments about the FDA approvals (or lack thereof) are so troubling. Other Presidents have attempted to influence the FDA, contrary to what has been said elsewhere on this board. However, it was always done via back channels and via third parties. How much success these attempts had is not knowable, because officially they never happened. By doing it in public, and by saying "good" or "bad" regarding FDA actions, at best Trump undermines the public perception of the FDA's objectivity. At worst, he actually coerces the FDA into doing things they wouldn't otherwise do. So far I think the FDA is still functioning objectively. Let's hope it stays that way.