Donald Trump has urged his supporters to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

During an interview with Fox News, the former US president said the jab is “safe” and “something that works”.

He said he would recommend vaccination to “a lot of people that don’t want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Mr Trump acknowledged people were free to decide for themselves whether they want to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“We have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also,” he said.

“But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works,” he added.

Republican hesitancy about receiving the vaccine is strong, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research.

It found 42% of Republicans say they probably or definitely will not have the jab, compared with 17% of Democrats – a 25 point difference.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Mr Trump urged those attending the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in February to get vaccinated: “Everybody, go get your shot.”

However, he did not disclose that he had received a jab.

He and his wife Melania were vaccinated in private before leaving the White House in January, a Trump adviser revealed earlier this month.

It is not clear which vaccine they received and their vaccination was not disclosed at the time by the Trump administration.

The official White House photographer was also not present to document the event, according to US media reports.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

President Joe Biden publicly received both doses of his COVID jab to boost confidence about America’s vaccine programme.

Four former US presidents – Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama – made a video urging Americans to get vaccinated.

Mr Biden has pledged that all American adults will be eligible for a vaccine by 1 May.

He said his goal is to get the country “closer to normal” by 4 July, so Americans can celebrate Independence Day with their loved ones.

Related posts:

Officer who fatally shot black man in Minneapolis ‘meant to reach for Taser – not handgun’, police say ‘Prime suspect’ and his father arrested in 1996 missing student cold case Ex-cop who fatally shot black motorist during traffic stop to be charged Scientist who helped invent Post-It Notes dies aged 80 Prince Harry faces backlash in the US after calling First Amendment ‘bonkers’ Fourth accuser tells court Ghislaine Maxwell told her to undress and massaged her breasts when she was 16 Two-month-old girl, nine-year-old and Korean war veteran among US tornado victims ‘Condemn this s*** ASAP’: Trump Jr’s desperate texts during US Capitol riot revealed Storm knocks out power, whips up tornado and causes hundreds of accidents in southeast US British man who took four hostage in Texas was on call with his children when he was shot dead Movements of Texas synagogue hostage taker in days leading up to death revealed Two kidneys transplanted into human from genetically-modified pig in world-first operation