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Jake Tapper’s bias exposed by math after he faults SecWar Hegseth for Lackland AFB flu outbreak

June 20, 2026 | | Print Article

An attempt at playing the blame game regarding a recent U.S. Air Force flu outbreak found a CNN anchor faced with a data-backed reality check over his alleged “blind hatred of Trump.”

Largely due to the response to COVID-19, the most outspoken with claims of science supporting their position often instead have been found zealously adhering with religious fervor to The Science™. Thursday, Jake Tapper’s viral decision to share an article about the Lackland Air Force Base flu outbreak found the report falling apart under scrutiny as the focus instead shifted to cry bias against President Donald Trump.

Sharing The New York Times’ report by Greg Jaffe and Maggie Haberman, Tapper’s post echoed the article with the caption, “A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas weeks after Defense Secretary Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said.”

Countering the correlation that danced around claiming causation, the X account Cynical Publius delivered some basic data courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), responding, “The population of Lackland AFB is ~24,000. 160 is 0.16% of 24,000. The current flu rate across the entire USA as of today is approximately the same … It’s so easy to disprove these liars, they never even try to check their own facts because of their blind hatred of Trump and his team. You think you hate journalists enough…”

Cynical Publius’ post credited xAI’s chatbot Grok with summarizing the CDC data, which further indicated symptomatic cases could actually be under 0.5%.

Other checks on Tapper included one from Emmy Award-winning KUTV reporter Heidi Hatch, who called out, “… no one gets a flu vaccine in May or June in the Northern Hemisphere. The previously required flu vaccination would have been taken by troops last October and should cover flu cases in circulation. New vaccinations for 2026-2027 flu season would be available in October of this year.”

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“You can see here the effectiveness by year, the flu vaccine US citizens took 2025-2026 was not a great match at 36% effectiveness,” she added.

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Of course, the same corporate media that attempted to fault Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a measles outbreak in Texas was certain to shoehorn further tragedy in the story. As the Times indicated, about 40% of Air Force trainees opted for the shot. The report emphasized the recent death of trainee Keon McDaniel with the caveat, “It was not immediately clear whether the death of the trainee … was related to the flu outbreak.”

Regarding the outbreak, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson told The Hill, “Medical professionals and Public Health officials have implemented mitigation measures to isolate and treat symptomatic trainees to reduce further exposure and continue to monitor the situation.”

“Medical personnel are also monitoring trainees who were in close contact with sick members in case they become symptomatic,” added the spokesperson.

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Where it concerned flu vaccination, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said upon ending the previous mandate in April, “Our new policy is simple. If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you’re free to take it. You should. But we will not force you. Because your body, your faith are not negotiable.”

Meanwhile, Democrats weren’t alone in decrying the Pentagon’s decision, as Senate Armed Services Committee chair Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R), himself an Air Force veteran, had said of the policy, “You know, you do give up certain rights when you take the oath. It’s just part of it.”

Kevin Haggerty
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