Video of President Biden shared online advising the public to « get vaccinated » as part of hurricane preparation.
Hurricane Milton’s approach has triggered evacuation orders for more than half the counties in Florida and a public health emergency across the state, with the storm forecast to make landfall near Tampa Bay this evening.
The currently Category 5 hurricane will bring intense rainfall, catastrophic storm surges, and wind speeds of 160 miles per hour. As much as 18 inches of rainfall is forecast in certain regions, which is expected to cause flash flooding.
Amid the disaster planning, misinformation has spread quickly, including a claim online this week that President Joe Biden had been advising Floridians to « get vaccinated » as part of their preparations.
The Claim
Multiple social media posts sent between October 8 and October 9, 2024, suggested President Biden had advised getting vaccinated as part of preparations for Hurricane Milton.
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by the account @stopvaccinating on October 8, said: « Resident Biden actually said to get vaccinated now because of the incoming hurricane.
« You can’t make up how much they hate us! »
The post included a link to another post by vaccine skeptic Dr. Ben Tapper, which included a video of Biden saying: « Let me be clear. If you are in a state where hurricanes often strike, like Florida, or the Gulf Coast, or into Texas, a vital part of preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now.
