Trump RFK Jr. vaccines clash puts health secretary under pressure, report says
Trump is frustrated that RFK Jr. has not moved faster to cut vaccine policy or prove an autism link, the Wall Street Journal reported.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
President Donald Trump is frustrated with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines, according to a late Monday report by the Wall Street Journal. The paper reported that Trump wants Kennedy to move faster in reducing federal childhood vaccine recommendations and in supporting a claimed link between vaccines and autism.
The claim that vaccines cause autism has been rejected by scientific research, Ars Technica reported. The Journal, citing people familiar with Trump’s thinking, said the president sees an autism remedy as a potential part of his legacy and views scaling back childhood vaccination as tied to that goal.
Why is Trump frustrated with RFK Jr.?
The Journal reported that Trump has complained privately that Kennedy has not done enough since taking the top federal health job. In May, Trump reportedly said Kennedy had “the yips,” and in June he raised the issue with Kennedy in the Oval Office, according to the Journal.
Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist before becoming health secretary, was surprised by the criticism, the Journal reported. Ars Technica wrote that many public health and medical experts would likely see that reaction differently, because Kennedy has already taken several steps they view as damaging to vaccination policy.
Ars Technica cited Kennedy’s reshaping of a major vaccine advisory panel, which it said included allies who share his vaccine views. That panel later dropped recommendations involving the hepatitis B shot given at birth and the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine, known as MMRV, according to Ars Technica.
Kennedy also changed the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule to make it resemble Denmark’s, according to Ars Technica, which noted that Denmark is a smaller country with universal health care. The report also said Kennedy directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop using prepaid advertising to promote seasonal flu vaccines during a severe flu season.
Ars Technica further reported that Kennedy edited a CDC webpage in a way that falsely linked vaccines and autism. Some of Kennedy’s vaccine-related actions, including advisory committee changes and the childhood schedule changes, have been blocked in court, according to Ars Technica.
What could happen to Kennedy at HHS?
The Journal reported that Kennedy could be sidelined or replaced if Trump remains dissatisfied. The paper said Chris Klomp, Kennedy’s Medicare chief, has been given broad authority to run the Department of Health and Human Services on Kennedy’s behalf.
The Journal also reported speculation that Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, could become health secretary after the midterm elections. No personnel change was reported as final.
Political advisers at the White House have urged Trump and Kennedy to reduce anti-vaccine rhetoric, according to Ars Technica. The same account cited polling from December that found Kennedy’s vaccine-cutting efforts were broadly unpopular and politically risky.
Kennedy has avoided discussing vaccines in recent public appearances, Ars Technica reported. The Journal’s reporting suggests that restraint has not matched Trump’s private expectations for his health secretary.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.