Report: Trump unhappy with RFK Jr. over vaccine and autism claims
The Wall Street Journal reports that Donald Trump is frustrated with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for not sufficiently challenging vaccine recommendations or proving a link to autism.
Donald Trump has reportedly expressed frustration and disappointment with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., believing he has not done enough to scale back vaccine recommendations or confirm a link between vaccines and autism, according to a report Monday from The Wall Street Journal.
People familiar with Trump's thinking told the Journal that the president has become fixated on the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. Trump reportedly wants to secure a legacy of finding a remedy for autism and sees reducing childhood vaccinations as a path to achieving this.
According to the report, Trump voiced his dissatisfaction in May, telling Kennedy he had "the yips" that prevented him from acting on a fervent anti-vaccine agenda while holding a high-level health position. In June, Trump reportedly vented in the Oval Office that Kennedy was not doing enough.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of vaccines. His role as Health Secretary under Trump, coupled with the president's specific expectations, has apparently created tension.