During a recent episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO, Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds was quizzed about whether he vaccinates his children. The discussion occurred on August 28, featuring Donalds, who represents Florida’s 19th district and is a candidate for governor, alongside journalist Molly Jong-Fast.
Jong-Fast began by noting his previous comments on CBS, and then directly asked, “I have three kids. You have three kids. Do you not vaccinate your kids?” (RELATED: As Questions Pile Up, Democrat Governor Won’t Clarify Whether Patients Died From Measles Or ‘With Measles’)
MSNBC contributor tries to corner Byron Donalds on measles and demands to know if he vaxxes his kids.
His answer left her looking stupid. And Bill Maher even piled on at the end.
MOLLY JONG-FAST: “You’ve had to say some stuff. Like last week on Margaret Brennan’s show, you said… pic.twitter.com/pGLXrHqgkg
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) August 29, 2026
In response, Donalds mentioned the changing vaccination schedules over the years, explaining, “My oldest son is 23 years old. The vaccination schedule for him was less intense than the vaccination schedule for my 15-year-old son.” He voiced concerns that many parents have regarding the frequency of shots infants receive, backing a recent directive from the White House that advocates for spaced-out doses and informed consent. Maher echoed his sentiment, agreeing that there was nothing wrong with that approach.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump had signed the “Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations” order on August 10, which calls for childhood vaccinations to be given at separate visits while maximizing parental choice rooted in informed consent.
Jong-Fast pointed out fatalities, stating, “We had two people in Ohio die of measles.” In turn, Donalds redirected the discussion to the southern border, referencing over 10 million illegal entries during the previous administration and linking outbreaks to detention facilities in places like El Paso and a migrant facility in Chicago.
He had recently made similar comments on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” attributing the measles outbreak to illegal immigration during a heated exchange with host Margaret Brennan, as noted by Mediaite. Maher rounded off the segment with a light-hearted remark regarding his own past experience with the disease.
