NEW YORK -- Former President Donald Trump is slamming politicians who refuse to say whether they have received covid-19 booster shots as "gutless."
"You gotta say it. Whether you had it or not, say it," Trump said in an interview that aired Tuesday night on the conservative One America News Network.
Trump, who was booed last month by supporters after revealing that he had gotten a booster shot, has become increasingly vocal in calling out those who have questioned the vaccines' efficacy and safety. It's a change in posture for Trump as he looks at another run for the White House and faces potential competition from a long list of possible Republican challengers.
Even though the vaccines were developed during the Trump administration, they remain unpopular with large segments of the Republican base, fueled in part by rampant disinformation. Trump, while in office, consistently downplayed the risk posed by covid-19, and he received his vaccination privately, even as other members of his administration were inoculated in public to help boost confidence in the shots.
"Well, I've taken it. I've had the booster," Trump said in the interview. "I watched a couple of politicians be interviewed and one of the questions was, 'Did you get the booster?' .... And they, 'Oh, oh,' they're answering it -- like in other words, the answer is 'Yes,' but they don't want to say it. Because they're gutless."
Trump did not name names, and his spokespeople did not immediately respond to questions about which politicians he was referring to. But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising star in the Republican Party who is often mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential contender, has notably declined to say whether he has received a booster.
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DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Many House Republicans, including top Trump allies, have also declined to disclose their vaccination status. Some such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are open about their refusal to get it.
In an interview last month, Trump seemed to acknowledge the risk many of his supporters were taking by not getting vaccinated, though he has repeatedly said he is against mandating the shots.
"This was going to ravage the country far beyond what it is right now. Take credit for it. Take credit for it. ... Don't let them take it away. Don't take it away from ourselves," he said in December during an appearance with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly when Trump first revealed that he had received the booster and was booed by some in the crowd.
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In an interview with conservative commentator Candace Owens, Trump stressed how well the vaccines work at preventing hospitalization and serious illness.
"The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take their vaccine," he told her. "People aren't dying when they take their vaccine."
FILE - Former President Donald Trump smiles as he pauses while speaking to supporters at a Turning Point Action gathering in Phoenix, July 24, 2021. Trump is slamming politicians who refuse to say whether they’ve received COVID-19 booster shots, calling them “gutless.” In an interview with One America News Network on Tuesday night, he said unnamed politicians have been afraid to admit they got the booster shot. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)