In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.
A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.
Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust. Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen."
He recently ran for president as an independent and has now endorsed Trump. If Trump wins, RFK could get a major job in the administration.
Alexandra Marquez and Garrett Haake at NBC:
In the closing days of the presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump and some of his top allies have increasingly embraced and spread anti-vaccine rhetoric typically linked to former independent presidential candidate and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Dr. Kavita Patel, physician and health policy researcher, writes at NBC:
"He’s a great guy. I’ve known him a long time. And all he wants to do — it’s very simple — he wants to make people healthy," Trump told NBC News on Friday.
Misinformation about vaccines has not been a focal point of Trump's 2024 campaign, but recently, Kennedy's influence — and the large role he could play in a Trump administration — have come to the forefront.
During an event with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Kennedy in Arizona Thursday night, Trump said that Kennedy wants to "look" at pesticides and vaccines in a potential Trump administration — and he was more than happy to give him carte blanche.
"He can do anything he wants," Trump said.
As a physician on the front lines of public health, I find myself in a state of constant disbelief and growing alarm, watching the level of disinformation and dangerous false rhetoric around public health emanating from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. A recent CNN interview with Howard Lutnick, co-chair of the Trump-Vance transition team, has sent shockwaves through the medical community. Lutnick’s casual endorsement of long-debunked vaccine conspiracy theories wasn’t just a momentary lapse in judgment — it was akin to tossing a lit match into a powder keg of public health concerns.
During a Fox News interview in 2023, Kennedy reiterated, "I do believe that autism comes from vaccines." Despite the claims by Kennedy, now being echoed by Lutnick, years of research have turned up no evidence that childhood vaccinations cause autism spectrum disorders. Of course, nearly any medical treatment will have some adverse side effects in some people. However, a 2021 comprehensive analysis of vaccine safety by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found "no new evidence of increased risk for key adverse events following administration of vaccines that are routinely recommended for adults, children, and pregnant women."
