WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, his days in office numbered, sought to take credit for emerging COVID-19 vaccines Tuesday while touting a vague executive order designed to prioritize Americans for inoculations – all amid questions about how many doses would be available and how soon they would be distributed.
The White House "summit," which Trump used to highlight the speedy development of several vaccine candidates and their expected FDA authorization, came as the administration faced scrutiny over whether it ordered enough doses to rapidly inoculate the public from a pandemic that has killed more than 284,000 Americans.
"They say it's somewhat of a miracle, and I think that's true," Trump said. "This is one of the greatest miracles in the history of modern-day medicine."
Trump signed an order that said the government must ensure Americans have access to the vaccine before it is shipped to other countries. But the practical implications of the order and how it would be enforced are unclear given that drug manufacturers are obligated to honor contracts signed with other governments.
The order says Americans should have “priority access” to the vaccine and that “the most vulnerable” populations receive it first. The order also charges national security adviser Robert C. O'Brien with developing a plan to ensure that goal is met and then to facilitate “international access” for other countries – but none of those terms are specifically defined.
The order appeared to be a response to reports that the Trump administration, which purchased 100 million doses of vaccine from Pfizer – enough to inoculate 50 million people – passed up a chance last summer to buy millions more doses. Senior administration officials described those reports as false but provided few details.

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