While many public officials, including past presidents, have heeded the advice of agencies such as HHS and the CDC and gotten their flu shot, President Donald Trump claims he's "never" received the vaccine, Time reports.
During a 2015 interview for the Opie & Jim Norton radio show, President Trump said he's "never had [a flu shot]." However, he said his decision shouldn't influence others to abstain from receiving the shot.
"I’ve never had a flu shot, and I've never had the flu. … I have friends that religiously get the flu shot and then they get the flu. … I've seen a lot of reports that the last flu shot is virtually totally ineffective," he said during the program. "I've passed on [receiving the flu shot], but that doesn't mean [other] people should."
It is unclear if President Trump has received the flu vaccine since taking office last January. The White House declined to comment on the president's inoculation status to Time.
However, President Trump is scheduled to undergo a physical Jan. 12, and the White House has stated the results of the exam will be released to the public. While he does not have a legal obligation to obtain the vaccine, some public health experts are hopeful he will receive the vaccine and publicly discuss his decision to motivate more people to be inoculated, the report states.
To read the full Time article, click here.