Trump backs Kennedy on vaccines despite risks
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Sep 6) stood by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr despite mounting pressure from Congress and public health concerns over sweeping changes to the country’s vaccine policy.
Since taking office, Kennedy has slashed funding for vaccine research, limited access to COVID-19 shots and removed the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public health experts warn the moves could carry dire consequences, and potentially political risks for Trump if vaccination rates fall and outbreaks occur.
TRUMP'S SUPPORT
Trump has so far defended Kennedy, telling reporters on Thursday: “He’s a very good person ... he means well, and he’s got some little different ideas. I like the fact that he’s different.”
A White House official said Trump and Kennedy speak regularly, though the president “doesn’t feel as strongly as Bobby on some of these key issues” but trusts his judgment.
Trump tapped Kennedy for the job after the “Make America Healthy Again” movement backed his 2024 campaign. Kennedy, who briefly ran for president as a Democrat and independent, dropped out to endorse Trump.
COMPLICATED VIEWS
Trump’s stance on vaccines remains mixed. He has claimed credit for Operation Warp Speed, the programme that fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccine development, but has been reluctant to champion the shots given scepticism among his base.
“Some vaccines are amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing,” Trump said Friday. But he added: “You have to be very careful when you say some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very tough position.”
Polling shows 75 per cent of Democrats consider vaccines for diseases like measles and rubella “very safe” for children, compared with just 41 per cent of Republicans.
CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE
Kennedy faced sharp criticism during a congressional hearing last week, where both Republicans and Democrats voiced discomfort with his leadership.
Lawmakers pointed to polling from Trump’s own campaign firm showing strong voter support for vaccine recommendations coming from doctors and scientists, not politicians.
Vice President JD Vance lashed out at critics of Kennedy online, while Kennedy himself has suggested Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for his vaccine efforts – a remark that Trump welcomed.
RISKS AHEAD
Trump has hinted at distancing himself if Kennedy becomes a liability. “If there’s something that the president views as embarrassing, he has a unique capacity to cut bait,” said Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence.
Public health experts warn that the alliance could prove costly. “They made a marriage of convenience and now it’s a marriage that’s going to have disastrous results,” said Gregg Gonsalves of the Yale School of Public Health.
