President-elect Donald Trump on Monday praised his nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as a “very reasonable man” and said his administration has no intention of eliminating the polio vaccine.
The issue came up during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago when a reporter asked President Trump if he wanted Kennedy Jr. to “disable the vaccine.''
“No, I want him to come back with a report on what he thinks. We're going to figure out a lot of things,” Trump said.
“We're doing two things. One, it's going to bring significant cost savings, which is minimal. And we're going to have very serious discussions about certain things. “I think so,” he added, citing “pesticides” as an example.
“Europe doesn't use pesticides, but their mortality rates are still better than ours. They don't use pesticides. In fact, they use it as an excuse not to receive our produce. ” he said. “We spend billions of dollars on pesticides.”
“And something bad is happening. Again, look at autism today compared to 20 to 25 years ago, it's unbelievable,” Trump said. continued.
President Trump reiterated that he would be informed before any changes occur.
FILE/Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at the Turning Point Action Rally in Duluth, Georgia, Wednesday, October 23, 2024. (Javin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Well, let me tell you. Nothing is going to happen right away. I think you'll find that Bobby is a very reasonable man,” Trump said. “I thought he was very reasonable.”
President Trump then clarified that his administration has no intention of eliminating the polio vaccine.
“We're not going to lose the polio vaccine. That's not going to happen,” President Trump said. “I saw what happened with polio. I have friends who were deeply affected by it.”
President Trump also praised Dr. Jonas Salk, who invented the first polio vaccine.
The question and Trump's response came as Kennedy Jr. begins meeting with senators this week in preparation for the confirmation process.
NBC News report Kennedy Jr. will be joined by incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), incoming Senate Majority Leader John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and incoming Senate Finance Chairman Mike Clapp (R-Idaho). ) has been scheduled to meet.
