(LifeSiteNews) — Country star John Rich told President Donald Trump that the reason his supporters booed him at his rallies during his 2024 bid for the White House was because of his constant boasting about Operation Warp Speed, Trump’s controversial COVID-19 program that injured millions of Americans.
Rich explained to the hosts of the Try That In a Small Town Podcast that he was at a dinner with Trump and other high-ranking Republican politicians several years ago. Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Marsha Blackburn, as well as then-Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker were also present, among others.
At one point during the evening, Trump turned to Rich and asked for his advice on how to deal with his tough crowds.
“[Trump] goes, ‘why are people booing me at my rallies when I bring up the vaccine?’” Rich said.
Before sharing his answer, Rich explained to the podcast hosts that he knew Trump was proud of Operation Warp Speed so he had to collect himself before speaking directly to him.
“Okay, I’m going to tell you the answer and you’re not going to like it,” Rich told Trump. “We, the American people, do not trust the people that you were forced to trust … the FDA, the CDC, the NIH, the WHO, Fauci and all the rest of them … we consider them to be a bunch of murderous de-populationist psychopaths.”
The remarks floored Trump, Rich said, who was “stunned” and who Rich believed had never been told that his base was furious with the program.
“Now, let me tell you why they’re booing you,” he continued. “Every human being out in that rally, either themselves or they know someone directly who has been harmed by the vaccine or has even died from it, including me.”
“I said, ‘I got members of my own family who were forced to take it against their will to keep their jobs, and now they’ve got all kinds of problems.’”
John Rich Shares the Conversation That Got Trump to Stop Talking About the COVID Vaccine
“He goes, why are people booing me at my rallies when I bring up the vaccine? … I said here’s why they’re booing you, Mr. President. Because every human being out in that rally, either… pic.twitter.com/kVF7uWQFm1
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 7, 2025
At that point in the evening, Trump turned to ask the rest of the table if anyone else had heard about this. Rich said that Herschel Walker spoke up and told Trump that voters at his rallies were telling him the same thing.
Rich said Lindsey Graham then interrupted him and told Trump to not listen to “conspiracy theorists like John Rich” and instead keep taking credit for Operation Warp Speed.
That prompted Rich to shoot back and tell Graham to never interrupt him or show him such disrespect again. He also said that after he finished his remarks to Trump, Trump said, “so I guess, no more vaccine talk.” Rich said he told him that was a good idea.
Since 2019, LifeSite has extensively reported on the innumerable harmful side effects of the COVID shot, including blood clots, myocarditis, miscarriages, and even sudden death.
Many high-profile public persons, including Elon Musk, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Cuomo, formerly of CNN, have said they were injured by the shot. While Trump has notably not spoken about the shot since the 2024 presidential campaign, he has also not signed executive orders or pursued legislation that would hold vaccine-makers accountable for the injures their COVID products caused, a move many medical freedom advocates are still hopeful will happen with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now at the helm of the Health and Human Services Department.
