Why Was Jill Biden Booed At A Brad Paisley Concert?
First lady Dr. Jill Biden is touring southern states right now in an effort to try and convince people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Less than 35% of the populations of Tennessee and Mississippi are vaccinated, and the dangerous Delta variant is spreading, per the Washington Post. Officials worry that the variant could lead to another spike in a region where hospitalizations for people 18 to 29 years old for COVID are on the rise. In Mississippi, hospitalization rates have quadrupled in the last month, and in Arkansas, they've doubled, according to the outlet.
In fact, six of the 10 states with the lowest vaccination rates are in the South. In addition to Tennessee and Mississippi, COVID cases are spiking in Missouri, Alabama, and Arkansas, per the Daily Mail. In Tennessee, only 41% of the population have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and only 33% are fully vaccinated. In Mississippi, only 25% of the population is fully vaccinated.
So, Biden recently teamed up with country singer Brad Paisley and his wife, actor Kimberly Williams, in Nashville to host a pop-up vaccination clinic before a Paisley concert, per Daily Mail. But it didn't go well — and here's how she reacted.
Jill Biden snapped back at the crowd who booed her
Dr. Jill Biden's trip to Nashville, Tennessee was expressly intended to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. She gave a speech at the Ole Smoky Distillery and said, "Only three in 10 Tennesseans are vaccinated," per the Daily Mail. The crowd booed her, but Biden got sassy with the assembled crowd and said, "Well, you're booing yourselves!"
There was a pop-up vaccine clinic set up in the outdoor beer garden of the distillery, and every person who received a vaccine got a free beer. However, only 10 people showed up to receive their vaccine while Biden was speaking, according to the Daily Mail. The inside of the distillery was packed with people who came to hear Biden speak and Brad Paisley sing.
She told the crowd that the COVID vaccine is the way Nashville can get back to the many music events the city is known for. "The vaccines are the only way to get back to ... the open mics and the music festivals and concerts that have made this city so very special," she said (via Daily Mail). She also emphasized the safety of the vaccine.