On Monday, Fox News host Dan Bongino opened his daily podcast on a topic that seemed like old news: Covid-19 vaccines. He brought them up after first complaining that fellow conservatives had gotten “bogged down” in the story about classified documents seized from President Biden‘s Delaware home and former Washington, D.C., office, “because the left are absolute experts at misdirection,” he said.
Instead, Bongino wanted to focus on what he sees as a growing sense of distrust among those who had received vaccines and boosters. “I’m sensing an enormous cultural shift here, folks,” he said, arguing that even Democrats were having second thoughts. The centerpiece of the segment was a clip from the podcast of Dilbert creator Scott Adams, in which the cartoonist expressed regret over his decision to get vaccinated. “I’m going to tell you that the anti-vaxxers appear to be right,” he said.
Elon Musk had replied on Friday to Adams’ statement on Twitter, noting that he felt like he “was dying” for days after his own second booster shot and adding: “Hopefully, no permanent damage, but I dunno.” He also alleged that a cousin of his had to be hospitalized for heart inflammation because of the vaccine. Bongino — who is also vaccinated but has been permanently suspended by YouTube for trying to evade a suspension he received for Covid misinformation — said on his Monday show that he hoped comments like Adams’ would make people more “skeptical of government” in the future.