Key facts
- Senator Bill Cassidy called Donald Trump's claims about the MMR vaccine "crazy, stupid".
- Trump suggested replacing the MMR vaccine with six separate shots, claiming the MMR is "lethal".
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy criticized Donald Trump's recent claims about the MMR vaccine's safety, calling them "crazy, stupid" and potentially harmful to public faith in immunizations. Cassidy highlighted the practical drawbacks of Trump's proposed alternative vaccination schedule.
The debate highlights a significant rift within the Republican party regarding public health policy and the influence of misinformation on critical health decisions, particularly concerning childhood vaccinations.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy has denounced Donald Trump's recent claims regarding the safety of the combined Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine, labeling them "crazy, stupid" and potentially damaging to public trust in immunizations. Trump had suggested scrapping the two-dose MMR vaccine in favor of six separate shots, describing the MMR as "sort of like a nuclear weapon" that could be "quite lethal."
Cassidy, a medical doctor, argued that Trump's proposal would increase the burden on parents by requiring six doctor visits instead of two, and would also drive up insurance premiums due to increased healthcare utilization. "So the president is wrong; there’s a lot of bad things that will come out of this," Cassidy stated.
The senator's criticism comes despite his own controversial voting record, including confirming anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy as health secretary. Cassidy had previously acknowledged that pediatricians were among Kennedy's most notable opponents due to his long-standing promotion of the discredited theory that vaccines cause autism. Cassidy had extracted a promise from Kennedy that the CDC would maintain its statements that vaccines do not cause autism.
However, following Kennedy's confirmation, the CDC's "Autism and Vaccines" page was altered. An asterisk was added to the headline "Vaccines do not cause Autism," leading to a footnote stating that the root causes of autism remain unknown. Additional text was also added, suggesting that studies linking vaccines and autism have been ignored by health authorities and that the claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not evidence-based. Cassidy asserted that Trump's comments would not help address the discredited link between vaccines and autism.