President Donald Trump is reportedly encouraging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to advocate for reduced childhood vaccinations, a topic that has been a focal point during Trump’s second term.
According to a source, Trump questioned Kennedy in May about the lack of investigation into links between vaccines and autism. This source mentioned that Kennedy seemed taken aback when he was advised to back off the vaccine topic in light of the upcoming midterm elections. However, the source indicated Trump’s desire for Kennedy to prioritize this issue.
Reportedly, “the president is directing most conversations with the health secretary back to this matter,” as stated by several officials. The report further indicates that Trump specifically wants Kennedy to decrease the number of vaccines given to children and eventually revise federal guidelines. This initiative is tied to Trump’s commitment to addressing the rising autism rates in children, which have significantly escalated over the past 25 years. By 2020, the autism prevalence rate for 8-year-olds was 1 in 36 and has worsened since then. Recently, Kennedy highlighted a series of studies aimed at identifying “exactly what environmental toxins” contribute to autism, noting that the statistic had climbed to 1 in 31.
“The epidemic is real,” Kennedy remarked.
He also commented on the need to pay attention to verified scientific findings, emphasizing that the situation is “absolutely devastating” and pointing out that it is a preventable issue. “It’s not genes that cause the disease,” he argued.
As criticism from the left grew around Kennedy’s inquiries into vaccines, he insisted that his goal was simply to provide the public with “credible information.”
In September, Trump stirred controversy by cautioning pregnant women against using acetaminophen (commonly known as Tylenol), citing a “very high risk of autism.”
“There’s a certain demographic that doesn’t take vaccines or medication, and they don’t have autism. Does that not say something?” Trump commented, reflecting on the matter.
“Some studies suggest this could be true, particularly regarding the Amish community,” Kennedy added.
Trump states he supports vaccinations but wishes there was more openness from health authorities and the media about the potential risks involved.
Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under Trump’s direction, excluded coronavirus vaccines from the recommended schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.
That same year, Kennedy announced the removal of mercury-based preservatives from flu shots in the U.S.
According to the present pediatric vaccination schedule, babies receive over a dozen vaccinations within their first six months of life. By the age of 18, including the flu and coronavirus shots, children will receive more than 72 vaccinations.
In March, Trump signed a Presidential Decree acknowledging that the Department of Health and Human Services’ recent scientific assessment of childhood vaccines should serve as a guiding resource for the federal government.
