WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump broke with his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday, showing a big difference of opinion within his cabinet. Trump strongly supports immunizations. During a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about Kennedy’s recent revisions to vaccine policy that have caused a lot of controversy since they could make it tougher for kids to get vaccinated.
Trump stated, “I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated.” He also added that vaccines “work” and are “not controversial at all.” He ended by saying, “I think those vaccines should be used.”
Kennedy’s actions and public words are very different from what Trump said. Since he took office, Kennedy has been under a lot of scrutiny for his long-standing doubts about vaccines. He has made big changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For example, he fired the CDC director and replaced a critical vaccine advisory panel with his own picks, many of whom have spoken out against vaccines. During a recent Senate session, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers sharply criticized these tactics and CDC staff walked out.
For example, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon said he was worried that Kennedy’s proposals would “make it harder for kids to get vaccines and that kids are going to die because of it.”
Some of the President’s most loyal followers are also worried about what he said about vaccines. People on social media have had different reactions. Some people are questioning why Trump would defend vaccines after signing an executive order earlier this year to terminate federal financing for COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools. People have said that the President’s position is inconsistent because he has sometimes supported false notions regarding vaccines while simultaneously taking credit for “Operation Warp Speed,” which helped the COVID-19 vaccines be made quickly.
Steve Bannon, who used to be the White House’s chief strategist, also spoke out against it, but he was talking about a different event: a recent White House dinner that Trump gave for tech heavyweights like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. Bannon, who is a strong fan of Kennedy, criticized the President for interacting with people he thinks are part of a “deep state” and for holding the dinner on the same day as Kennedy’s controversial Senate testimony. “Zuckerberg should be in jail, not having dinner with the President!” Bannon added, “whoever set that up should be perp-walked out of the White House.”
Trump’s supporters have conflicting feelings about him, but he has gotten praise from an unexpected source. Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democrat who often criticizes Trump, tweeted on X that “Even President Trump gets it right once in a while.” Vaccines work and are safe. They have saved the lives of millions of people. He went on to say, “Unfortunately, Sec. Kennedy disagrees. We need an HHS Secretary who believes in science and not in conspiracy theories.