President Trump reiterated his support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s actions on vaccines in an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, just days after federal officials said that they would be recommending far fewer childhood vaccines than they had in the past.
Asked whether Mr. Kennedy had gone too far in discouraging vaccination, Mr. Trump responded, “No, I think it’s good.”
“Basically, he’s giving the ones that they feel, after a lot of research, are important, and after that, it’s up to the parents what they want,” Mr. Trump said in the interview. He also acknowledged that he received flu and Covid vaccines this year.
On Monday, Jim O’Neill, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signed off on a recommendation to reduce the number of diseases that merited inoculation against to 11 from 17. Though the move will not influence insurance coverage, it is expected to drive down vaccination rates, particularly in states that haven’t already begun steps in recent months to bypass C.D.C. vaccine advice.
The change could also affect the legal protections for companies that make the recommended vaccines, which require people who believe they were harmed to seek compensation through a special federal court. Experts say the impact remains uncertain.
Mr. Trump suggested that the change was based on “a lot of research,” but such research was not discussed in an official federal report on the changes. The report did not offer new evidence that the vaccines removed from the recommendation list were unsafe, or that the diseases they protect against were not hazardous. Those diseases include rotavirus, which can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting, and a type of meningitis that can be deadly to young adults living in crowded conditions such as college dormitories.
The new guidelines also lifted the recommendation for the vaccine against hepatitis A, which can cause liver damage and which can be spread through food, as was the case with an outbreak related to frozen strawberries several years ago. The strawberries sold at Walmart, Trader Joe’s and other retailers were connected to more than a dozen hospitalizations.
After the Monday announcement, Mr. Trump lauded the changes in a Truth Social post.
“We are moving to a far more reasonable Schedule,” he wrote, “where all children will only be recommended to receive Vaccinations for 11 of the most serious and dangerous diseases.”
In the interview, Mr. Trump said that the changes allow parents to “go and give the children as much as they want.” He also said that he would want his grandchildren protected by some vaccines.
“It depends on which vaccine,” he said. “If you’re talking about polio vaccine and various vaccine, absolutely, yes.”
Christina Jewett covers the Food and Drug Administration, which means keeping a close eye on drugs, medical devices, food safety and tobacco policy.
The post Trump Backs Kennedy’s Moves on New Childhood Vaccine Schedule appeared first on New York Times.
