[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that there is an anti-government group within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deliberately delaying COVID-19 vaccine development experiments to prevent his re-election. This claim is known to be a conspiracy theory spread by some far-right groups. The Democratic Party criticized the president, saying it was an inappropriate statement for him to make.
On the 22nd (local time), President Trump posted on his Twitter account, "The 'deep state' within the FDA is making it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to secure test subjects for vaccine and treatment trials." He alleged that the FDA was delaying vaccine development experiments to harm his re-election chances. However, President Trump did not provide any evidence of the existence of a deep state within the FDA or that they were intentionally delaying vaccine development.
“Deep state” is a term frequently used by the far-right group in the U.S. called “QAnon,” referring to entrenched power groups within the U.S. government. According to QAnon, the deep state is an organization connected to the Democratic Party and baselessly claims they conduct devil-worship rituals involving drinking the blood of trafficked children. They regard President Trump as the savior who will rescue the U.S. from the deep state. Earlier, on the 19th, President Trump also defended QAnon, saying they "love the country."
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House and a member of the Democratic Party, criticized President Trump’s tweet regarding the FDA at a press conference that day, calling it "a very dangerous statement for a president to make."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
