President-elect Donald Trump on Monday dispelled rumors that his administration would seek to ban the polio vaccine, telling reporters: “That's not going to happen.”
There are questions about President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made a name for himself by challenging the effectiveness of vaccines, and on Friday, The New York Times reported that Robert F. has published a report expressing concern about future challenges to the effectiveness of vaccines. Trying to ban the polio vaccine. According to the report, the lawyer who is assisting President Kennedy with staffing the department previously oversaw the distribution of 13 vaccines, including the polio vaccine, while working for the nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network. They were petitioning for it to stop.
The report prompted criticism of Kennedy's nomination, including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said, “Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven treatments are…dangerous.'' ” he said.
At a press conference at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, when asked by reporters whether his administration would ban vaccines, Trump answered “no,” but asked President Kennedy, “What do you think?” “I hope he will come back with his thoughts and a report,” he said. Polio vaccine.
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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s endorsement of former President Donald Trump sparked a wave of intense reaction from the mainstream media. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“There will be reports, but nothing will happen right away,” Trump told reporters. “I'm sure you'll find it. [Kennedy] He's a very reasonable guy. I thought he was very reasonable. ”
President Trump reiterated, “We're not going to lose the polio vaccine. That's not going to happen.”
President Trump told reporters that he had a friend who had contracted the polio virus, and that when he received the vaccine, “the polio virus ended.” He also praised his efforts to help people like his friend Dr. Jonas Salk, who invented the first polio vaccine.
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President-elect Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listen during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP)
President Trump's response quashed rumors that his administration was planning to ban the polio vaccine, but expressed concern about rising autism rates in the United States, which President Kennedy had linked to the vaccine in the past.
“We're going to look into why autism rates are so much higher than they were 20, 25, 30 years ago,” Trump said in response to the polio vaccine ban. “So it's about 100 times more expensive. There's something wrong with it, and I'm going to find out.”
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In response to a question about the future of the polio vaccine, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team said, “Mr. Kennedy believes the polio vaccine should be made available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied.”
