In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns. In this campaign, a number of posts have discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. He also has a bad record on disability issues more generally.
One of the major-party presidential candidates has had plenty to say during this year's campaign. But almost none of the words from Donald J. Trump have been about the importance of science and science literacy to the nation's economic growth, security and international prestige—as well as to the health and well-being of the American people and the future of the planet itself. Trump has, however, made statements about science over the years, many of them in the form of tweets. They betray his beliefs about scientific issues, so we are reprinting a selection of them here. We have not fact-checked them.
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THE AUTISM-VACCINE CONNECTION
I've seen people where they have a perfectly healthy child, and they go for the vaccinations, and a month later the child is no longer healthy. [SOURCE]
Autism rates through the roof—why doesn't the Obama administration do something about doctor-inflicted autism. We lose nothing to try. [SOURCE]
Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes—AUTISM. Many such cases! [SOURCE]
