Watch How Fauci Tries to Change the Language on Vaccine Mandates

Dr. Anthony Fauci has been an advocate of forced vaccinations, arguing the only way to get the pandemic under control is through “many, many more mandates.”

But suddenly, he’s beginning to talk about vaccine mandates differently.

During an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director was asked about comments former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb made regarding vaccine mandates.

“I want to ask you about vaccine mandates, in part because it continues to be a national debate,” said host Andrew Ross Sorkin. “Dr. Scott Gottlieb comes on this program regularly and one of the things that he has said repeatedly is that he believes it’s possible that those mandates have become counterproductive not just towards getting people to take the vaccine today but what it does to the psyche of Americans around taking other vaccines in the future. Do you agree with him?”

While Fauci called Gottlieb a friend, he said he didn’t agree and didn’t know what he was referring to. He also changed his tune on calling vaccine mandates, mandates.

“Mandates—that’s a radioactive word. Requirements—people seem to respond better to that. They work,” Fauci responded. “We are never going to get out of this outbreak if we still have 50 million people who for reasons that are still very, very difficult to understand refuse to get vaccinated when you have a virus that’s killed 800,000 Americans and caused 50 million infections so if people still do not want to get vaccinated sometimes you have to for the common good make requirements.”