'Liberal elites' pressured Pfizer to delay COVID vaccine approval in bid to hurt Trump: Nate Silver

Political pollster Nate Silver claimed on Thursday that the nation's "liberal elites" pressured pharmaceutical company Pfizer to slow the approval process for its COVID-19 vaccine and consequentially deny former President Donald Trump a political win ahead of the presidential election in 2020.

“‘Trump pushed for vaccine approvals too fast’ is the worst possible critique of the Trump administration’s COVID policy,” Silver wrote in reaction to a Politico story outlining the former president's push for an expedited approval process for COVID-19 treatments.

"Also, the late 2020 push from liberal public health elites that persuaded Pfizer to *change* its original protocols — and had the convenient side-effect of delaying any vaccine announcement until after the election — deserves more scrutiny," he added in a follow up Tweet.

Also, the late 2020 push from liberal public health elites that persuaded Pfizer to *change* its original protocols — and had the convenient side-effect of delaying any vaccine announcement until after the election — deserves more scrutiny.https://t.co/1v3ueTNqur

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) August 24, 2022

Outside of vaccines, the Trump White House reportedly pushed the Food and Drug Administration to approve the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, according to the New York Post.

Silver's comments paint a narrative that aligns with comments from Trump, who previously blasted the company for deliberately delaying its vaccine to his political detriment, the Post noted.