Anderson Cooper did not say the unvaccinated should be denied social security benefits
Anderson Cooper did not say the unvaccinated should be denied social security benefits
(Reuters) - Social media claims that CNN host Anderson Cooper wants to deny unvaccinated individuals social security benefits are false. Portions of an August 4, 2021, CNN interview with American businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates have been misrepresented online.
One tweet (here), reads, “Anderson Cooper wants to have Social Security to be withheld from the unvaccinated. This is what happens when your misery wants company.”
A post on Facebook reads, “CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Bill Gates agree that government should withhold Social Security checks from unvaccinated people. Do you think this is extreme?”
Another tweet (here), reads, “Anderson Cooper floating the idea of withholding SS from the unvaxxed. Hope you enjoy what you voted for commies.”
Some posts use clips from the August 4, 2021 taping of Cooper’s CNN show, Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees (here) (published online on August 5, 2021). In the episode Bill Gates discussed his divorce from Melinda Gates, the pandemic, and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
A CNN transcript for the show, which captures the exchange between the two public figures, is viewable here .
In the segment, neither Cooper nor Gates expressed support for withholding social security benefits from the unvaccinated.
Cooper says: “Obviously, corporations increasingly are saying you have to be vaccinated in order to work at our corporation. Is that something you support? And do you think the Federal government or state governments, or the very least Federal government should mandate, if you want to get on an airplane, you have to be vaccinated; if you want to get Social Security, you need to be vaccinated; if you want to get whatever benefits they give, you need to be vaccinated for. Is that something that the U.S. can and should do?”
Gates laughs and then says: “Well, certainly, if you take a case like nursing homes, where, you know, we are seeing transmission primarily through unvaccinated people. There, you can make a very compelling case. If once you get far beyond that, the question is, will it work to get people to be more -- to seek out the vaccine? You know, one elderly care home said hey, if I require it, but the others don’t, you know, I simply just have less workers. And so you have to step back and think through this whole system.”
The discussion between Gates and Cooper is viewable here (see 5:13 pm box).
Shimrit Sheetrit, a representative for CNN, told Reuters: “Anderson was posing a question to Bill Gates, in no way implying that he supports this position.”
VERDICT
False. Anderson Cooper did not say he wanted to remove social security benefits from the unvaccinated during an August 2021 interview with Bill Gates.
