Key facts
- President Trump is reportedly frustrated with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
- Trump hopes to make alleviating autism a component of his legacy.
- Kennedy recently slashed the routine childhood immunization schedule.
- Trump reportedly asked Kennedy if he had 'the yips' regarding vaccine cuts.
- A federal judge ordered a halt to Kennedy's vaccine changes following a lawsuit.
President Trump is reportedly pushing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be more aggressive in cutting vaccine recommendations in the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal. Trump has a history of anti-vaccine statements and hopes to make alleviating autism a component of his legacy, reportedly expressing frustration to Kennedy about the pace of changes.
Kennedy recently reduced the routine childhood immunization schedule. Trump allegedly asked Kennedy if he had 'the yips' for not making enough cuts. Decades of research indicate genetics are the primary cause of autism, with no link to vaccines, yet Trump has advocated for breaking up shots into individual components and delaying some childhood vaccines.
Polls suggest anti-vaccine moves are politically risky. Despite this, Trump issued a memo directing HHS to align with 'peer' nations on vaccination recommendations. Kennedy subsequently slashed recommendations, but a federal judge ordered a halt to these changes following a lawsuit. Kennedy also sought to divert significant funding toward research on vaccines and autism.
Experts like Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, state that Trump holds an 'immutable belief that vaccines cause autism,' making him a powerful anti-vaxxer. Offit noted that the rise in diseases like measles is more likely to be Trump's legacy than advances in understanding autism.