While South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham spoke at a country club in Summerville, S.C., the crowd began shouting over him when he mentioned that attendees should think about getting the vaccine, according to a report by My San Antonio.
Graham was only halfway through his sentence, saying, “If you haven’t had the vaccine, you ought to think about getting it because if you’re my age -” then the crowd began shouting at him.
As attendees responded with “No!” and while others booed, the 66-year old Republican senator who received his COVID-19 vaccine in December responded and said, “I didn’t tell you to get it. You ought to think about it.”
Attendees responded again, yelling words like “False!” and “Not true!” as seen in a video during the event that the Daily Beast posted.
Republican Officials Faced Backlash From Supporters
Graham is the most recent Republican to face criticism from his own party supporters over encouraging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine and talking about its safety and efficacy.
Back in August, former President Donald Trump was also booed when he told supporters in Alabama that he suggested getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Arkansas Governor Hutchinson also faced backlash after saying that the vaccine does not cause infertility.
Officials in South Carolina said that most of the latest COVID-19 cases and deaths were unvaccinated. Back in June, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 86% of COVID-19 related hospitalizations. In August, health officials referred to the increasing COVID-19 cases as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
According to the Washington Post’s vaccine tracker, only 2.4 million or 48% of people in South Carolina are fully vaccinated. The state’s rate is below the national average.
About 56% of the U.S.’s population is fully vaccinated.
Graham Opposes Vaccine Mandates
Graham still told his supporters that he stands by what he believed regarding the vaccines – which is it being effective against COVID-19.
During the event, Graham asked attendees to raise their hands if they were vaccinated for the measles, receiving responses like “it’s not the same,” and one even falsely claimed that the vaccines were “experimental.”
The Republican senator also told his supports that even though he believes that the vaccines are safe and effective, he shares the same sentiments regarding the COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
A lawsuit has already been filed, aiming to stop the vaccination mandates for the federal workforce, including the military.
