Joe Biden says police should be fired for not getting the vaccine

The president also mocked those who refuse the vaccine mandate and accused them of turning it into a political issue

US President Joe Biden said that police officers and first responders who refuse to take the Covid-19 vaccination should stay home and be fired.

During a presidential town hall with journalist Anderson Cooper, Mr Biden agreed that emergency first responders who have been refusing to take the jab should be fired.

Asked “should police officers, first responders be mandated to get vaccines? And if not, should they be mandated to stay at home, let go?” the President responded with “Yes and yes.”

He added: “By the way, I waited until July, to talk about mandating, because I tried everything else possible. Mandates are working.”

The president announced in July that those businesses that employed more than 100 employees would be required to mandate coronavirus vaccines. Or administer weekly Covid-19 tests.

He also said that employers would be required to pay the employees for time off to get their jabs.

Mr Biden added that those rejecting the vaccines are trying to make vaccine mandate a “political issue”.

He mocked them and said: “I have the freedom to kill you with my Covid. No, I mean, come on, freedom.”

Nearly 70 per cent of US adults have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while more than 60 per cent of all Americans have received both doses of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, in a joint letter dated 16 September, about two dozen Republican attorneys general have threatened to sue the administration over the vaccine mandate and called it “disastrous and counterproductive”.

The letter to Mr Biden said: “From a policy perspective, this edict is unlikely to win hearts and minds – it will simply drive further scepticism. And at least some Americans will simply leave the job market instead of complying.”