Brian Kemp (R) is defending his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates by telling the story of an “AIDS vaccine” that does not exist.

While Kemp says that he supports people getting vaccinated against coronavirus, he has called President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal workers “unlawful overreach.” He said earlier this week that he’s looking into legal action against the Biden administration for violating “personal liberties” with the vaccine mandate, which allows private sector workers to get tested instead of getting vaccinated.

But Kemp’s explanation of why he supports vaccines but opposes vaccine mandates is leaving people scratching their heads.

“We should focus on being civil and educating people about the vaccine and not trying to bully them into taking it and work at it that way,” Kemp said during a recent appearance on a rightwing podcast.

“I mean that’s basically how the AIDS vaccine worked, you know, people wouldn’t take it early on because it was mandated, they started educating people and now it’s doing a lot of good out there,” he claimed.

This isn’t the first time Kemp has brought up the harrowing history of failed AIDS vaccine mandates.

In an August press conference, he said that he opposes mask mandates in the state because of the AIDS vaccine’s failures.

Newsweek asked the governor’s office for clarification, and a spokesperson for Kemp said that he was referring to the HPV vaccine, which was approved by the FDA in 2006.