From the Oval Office:

”We missed the mark. The goal was 70% and we didn’t get there. There are those in the media and some politicians who think this is some kind of political game, they will spread misinformation and sow mistrust, they will misrepresent the best available science and public health information — which is constantly evolving because that is how science and public health works when you have an emerging situation with a novel virus — the best information we have for their own political gain.

“Well this is not a game. More than 600k have died, millions have been sickened. We are seeing new variants emerge. More people will get sick and die if we don’t get more people vaccinated.

“Roll up your damn sleeve and get the shot. Do it to protect yourself, your kid, your elderly parent or grandparent or neighbor next door. Do it for the transplant or cancer patient for whom the vaccine doesn’t work. Do it for America. Not for Democrats, or Republicans, not for me. Do it for America.

“Now since we didn’t reach our goal—-which by the way was not high enough to actually reach herd immunity, but it would have gotten us well on the way–I am going to mandate the continued use of masks everywhere I have the authority to, and we will be rolling out a vaccine mandate for any interstate travel, it will take effect on September 1st. If you are not full vaccinated  by September 1st, you’re not getting on a plane, or an Amtrak.

“We have two paths ahead of us, one where more people get vaccinated, and maybe, just maybe our nation’s kids get back into the classroom and have a normal year of school and the virus doesn’t have so many adults to infect. The other, the other my friends, is a grim path. This second path will see a spike in infections, it will see variants that are either more transmissible, more deadly or both. Hospitals will be overrun. Care will be rationed. Mobile morgues will hold our dead loved ones in hospital parking lots.

“It’s our choice. If you’re not yet vaccinated, the choice you make will determine what happens next. Do you want to be gasping for air on a gurney in a hospital hallway, begging for a vaccine only to be told it is too late?  Do you want to say good by to your mother, father or spouse over Facetime while a nurse in PPE holds their hand?

“Come on man. Get the shot.”