In response to a report by Politico, Dennis Quaid and CeCe Winans said that their interviews about COVID-19 were not political or being used as part of a Trump administration ad campaign.
On Friday, Politico reported that the interviews, featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, Quaid and Winans, will air on Nov. 3, in an attempt reduce “despair” about coronavirus and potentially boost opinion on the president’s handling of the pandemic prior to the election. The interviews, the report claimed, are currently under investigation by the Democrats, who have claimed that they are part of a pro-Trump ad campaign.
Quaid refuted the political nature of his interview with Fauci on Saturday via Instagram. In a short video, the actor said he feels “some outrage and a lot of disappointment” from the media’s reporting of the video. “It is being used by the cancel culture media that I was doing a campaign ad, an endorsement of Donald Trump and that I was paid handsomely for this by diverted CDC funds,” he said. “Nothing can be further from the truth. The interview and PSA were about raising awareness of COVID-19 and what we can still do to prevent lives being lost by this terrible virus. It was about the importance of wearing masks, about social-distancing and in no way political.”
Winans also weighed in, sharing additional details on her interview with Adams. “This interview stresses how important it is for everyone to wear a mask, and it also gives us other instructions on how to get on the other side of this pandemic,” she said, adding that the campaign is “not political at all.” “We have lost so many lives because of COVID-19. Let’s all do everything we can, so we won’t lose any more.”
Politico reported that the coronavirus PSA cost $300 million and is set to launch on Nov. 3