A clip of CNN host Anderson Cooper pushing for striping the unvaccinated individuals of social security benefits has surfaced. However, the clip from Cooper's interview with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has been misrepresented on social media.
The original clip was part of Cooper's CNN show, Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees which was taped on August 4, 2021 and aired the next day. Gates spoke about his divorce from Melinda Gates, the pandemic, and his relationship with sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Did Cooper Demand Removal of Social Security Benefits?
In the 10 second clip begins with Cooper saying, "It showed the CNN host declare, "Social Security, you need to be vaccinated if you want to get whatever, whatever benefits they give, you need to be vaccinated." Gates is seen laughing at the proposal being made by the host.
"Bill Gates nearly has a full blown orgasm hearing Anderson cooper suggest withholding people's social security if they don't take the vax," read one of the Twitter posts carrying the viral clip.
"Anderson Cooper wants to have Social Security to be withheld from the unvaccinated. This is what happens when your misery wants company," read another tweet.
"Anderson Cooper floating the idea of withholding SS from the unvaxxed. Hope you enjoy what you voted for commies," expressed another user.
"Anderson Cooper wants Social Security to be withheld from the unvaaxed.. What a miserable m0nster!" opined one.
"Bill Gates and Anderson Cooper laughed at the idea of withholding social security from people who don't vaccine on the MSM and then they went home to their estates where servants probably fed them. But your neighbors working 2 jobs barely making 50k/year are the enemy," read a tweet.
Here is the Truth
Debunking the claim being made on the basis of viral clip, Reuters reported that the CNN host did not say he wanted to remove social security benefits from the unvaccinated during the August 2021 interview with Bill Gates.
In the full length video, 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 is seen laughing in the clip, responded by saying that it can make for a compelling case where transmission happens primarily through unvaccinated people. "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," Gates said.
