Donald Trump, the former President, promised that if he wins the election in November, he will bring back military members who lost their jobs for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine. He also said they would get an apology and back pay for their time away from work.
During a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump stated, “Kamala Harris and Joe Biden dismissed 8,000 service members from our military for their refusal to comply with the COVID vaccine mandate. They chose not to participate.”
He said, “We didn’t want to be forced to do it. You just can’t make people do that.”
He announced, “I will bring back every patriot who was let go, and I will apologize to them and give them their back pay. They will receive both their money and an apology from our government,” as the crowd cheered loudly.
The Republican candidate for president mentioned that he wishes the former military service members are now in “awesome jobs” and “earning a lot of money,” but he also hopes they want to return.
He told the crowd at the rally, “The mandate things should have never taken place.”
As of October 2023, just 43 out of the 8,000 service members who were let go have come back to the military after the vaccine mandate was lifted.
Several organizations, like First Liberty Institute and New Civil Liberties Alliance, have taken legal action against the federal vaccine requirements and what they see as unconstitutional COVID-19 executive orders.
While speaking during the rally, Trump also criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the military and its morale.
“Thanks to Comrade Kamala and Joe Biden, morale in our military is now so low that almost every single branch is suffering a major recruitment and retention crisis,” the former commander in chief said.
When I take office, I will start the largest peacetime recruitment effort ever for our armed forces, he promised at the campaign rally.
The former president called for bringing back a “sense of pride and prestige” to the military. He also called on mass resignations of top military officials behind the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
Trump mentioned that he expects to have those resignation letters on his “desk in the Oval Office” by Inauguration Day.
Source: Youtube, Washington Examiner
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