coronavirus vaccine

Ex-Presidents Club (Mostly) Comes Together to Encourage Vaccinations

Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are appearing in ads as part of an effort to persuade people to get vaccinated

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter seen in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 7, 2009. The former Presidents of the United States have come together to promote vaccinations in two national ad campaigns.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The exclusive club of former presidents — minus its most recently inducted member — is featured in two national ad campaigns released Thursday that are aimed at building confidence among Americans in the coronavirus vaccines, according to copies of the videos provided to NBC News.

One of the spots, which runs a minute long, shows images of former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama, being vaccinated.

"In order to get rid of this pandemic, it's important for our fellow citizens to get vaccinated," Bush says, adding later: "So roll up your sleeve and do your part."

The other, a 30-second video, features Clinton, Bush and Obama during President Joe Biden's inauguration in January, talking outside at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Obama says the vaccines are the "first step to ending the pandemic and moving our country forward."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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