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.
The co-chair of the Trump-Vance transition team on Wednesday night endorsed vaccine conspiracy theories pushed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and suggested the activist and Trump ally would be given federal data in order to check vaccines’ safety if former President Donald Trump is elected.
Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source,” Howard Lutnick, who said he recently spent two and a half hours with Kennedy, also said Kennedy is “not getting a job for (the Department of Health and Human Services),” which is contrary to a claim the activist made earlier this week in which he said Trump promised to give him “control” of several public health agencies, HHS among them. Lutnick also said tech entrepreneur Elon Musk would “help” rather than serve in the government if Trump wins.
“He says, ‘If you give me the data, all I want is the data, and I’ll take on the data and show that it’s not safe.’ And then if you pull the product liability (protections), the companies will yank these vaccines right off, off of the market,” Lutnick said.Lutnick added, “Let’s give him the data. I think it’ll be pretty cool to give him the data. Let’s see what he comes up with. I think it’s pretty fun.” But vaccines that are currently approved and authorized for use in the US have been proven safe and effective and are continually monitored for risks and side effects.
Lutnick also pushed debunked conspiracy theories that vaccines are behind autism in children. Although it is still unclear what causes autism, the scientific consensus is that vaccines do not.
Regarding Kennedy’s goal. If it is as Lutnick says, it seems that Kennedy is interested in opening up a wave of vaccine lawsuits to get manufacturers to yank vaccines.
Regarding liability. Congress responded to a wave of lawsuits related to vaccines in 1986 to create the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which is intended to compensate the extremely small portion of the population that develops adverse reactions to vaccines. The program, which is funded by an excise tax on recommended vaccines, has paid more than $4.5 billion to around 9,500 people since 1988, according to the Department of Justice. Vaccine manufacturers can be sued for injury in state court.
Regarding the allegation of “blocked” data. What are Kennedy and Lutnick talking about? It’s not at all clear.
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Jerome Adams, who was US surgeon general under Trump, said Kennedy should not get a senior role in a Trump administration.
“Bottom line: It’s hard to implement your other political priorities if you’re busy dealing with a measles or polio outbreak,” he told The Washington Post.
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In the years since the pandemic, the portion of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who say it is extremely important for parents to get their children vaccinated has fallen from 52% in 2019 to 26% in 2024. A strong majority of Democrats and Democratic leaners, 63%, still say childhood vaccination is extremely important.
