The Trump administration is considering enlisting celebrities as part of a new $250 million public health campaign on COVID-19, according to a report Wednesday.
The project would potentially rope in Hollywood stars, sports figures and musicians to ask top White House coronavirus task force questions for a series of one-minute ads, an anonymous official at the Dept. of Health and Human Services told ABC News.
The idea sparked from a more than hour-long Zoom call that Dr. Anthony Fauci had earlier this year with some 30 celebs, who were able to ask the infectious diseases expert anything they wanted, said the source, who wasn’t named because they weren’t allowed to speak publicly on the details.
Administration officials figured that if stars had these questions about the virus — that the American people may too, the source said.
HHS press secretary Michael Caputo confirmed to the outlet that the agency has reached out to public relations firms on the potential $250 million contract, which was first reported by Politico.
But he stayed mum on the involvement of A-listers, instead addressing concerns from certain lawmakers that the project was political.
“This project is about public health, not politics, and America deserves no less,” Caputo told ABC News. “I’m confident the politicians who actually care about public health will soon see the results and appreciate the effort.”
