This presentation documents actions taken by Trump administration officials—both before and during their time in office—that have contributed to measles vaccine skepticism and undermined public health recommendations (Hancock, 2026).
"Massive combined inoculations to small children is the cause for big increase in autism... Spread shots over long period and watch positive result" (ABC News, 2012).
"Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes – AUTISM. Many such cases!" (ABC News, 2019).
"Autism WAY UP – I believe in vaccinations but not massive, all at once, shots. Too much for small child to handle. Govt. should stop NOW!" (ABC News, 2012).
Trump met with discredited MMR‑autism researcher Andrew Wakefield and other anti‑vaccine activists at a Florida fundraiser, promising to watch Vaxxed and expressing interest in further meetings (Wadman, 2016).
Trump met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discuss a commission on "vaccine safety and scientific integrity"; Kennedy said Trump "has some doubts about the current vaccine policies, and he has questions about it" (CIDRAP, 2017; NPR, 2017).
During a major U.S. measles surge, Trump stated: "They have to get the shots. The vaccinations are so important," reversing years of public claims linking vaccines to autism (ABC News, 2019).
Kennedy visited Samoa in 2019 to meet with the prime minister and anti‑vaccine activists, then downplayed the role of coverage declines and anti‑vaccine rhetoric in the deadly outbreak that followed (U.S. News, 2025).
Samoan officials later said Kennedy’s visit bolstered local anti‑vaccine activists’ credibility (U.S. News, 2025).
Kennedy told Fox News that "when we were children, everyone contracted measles, and that provided lifetime immunity," while claiming that vaccine‑induced immunity "wanes" and does not offer the same benefit, inaccurately suggesting outbreaks are driven by vaccinated people with "diminishing immunity" (CNN, 2025a; HealthDay, 2025).
In the same coverage, experts noted that two doses of MMR are about 97% effective and that waning immunity is not the primary driver of current outbreaks, which overwhelmingly affect unvaccinated people (CNN, 2025a).
HHS, led by Kennedy with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, removed COVID‑19 vaccines from the childhood schedule and from recommendations for pregnant women, limiting them mainly to older adults and high‑risk groups (First Focus, 2025).
Kennedy fired all 17 members of CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with a smaller group that included vaccine skeptics and people without relevant expertise (Global Biodefense, 2025a).
New appointees included self‑described "anti‑vaxxer" Kimberly Biss and pediatric cardiologist Kirk Milhoan, as well as individuals associated with anti‑vaccine advocacy and litigation (Global Biodefense, 2025a; Families USA, 2025).
The reconstituted ACIP placed renewed focus on thimerosal‑containing flu vaccines, reviving long‑debunked autism‑related concerns (Global Biodefense, 2025a).
At a White House briefing, Trump told pregnant women not to take Tylenol and suggested that vaccines and Tylenol contribute to autism, while urging parents not to let doctors "pump" babies full of shots (ABC News, 2025a; Autism Science Foundation, 2025).
Autism researchers and advocacy groups stressed that decades of data show no causal link between vaccines and autism, and warned that discouraging appropriate Tylenol use can harm pregnant people and children (ABC News, 2025a; ABC7 News, 2025).
Kennedy directed CDC to remove plain‑language statements that vaccines do not cause autism and to replace them with language framing that conclusion as not sufficiently "evidence‑based," despite extensive research to the contrary (Bogel‑Burroughs & Stolberg, 2025).
Senator Bill Cassidy said Kennedy had previously assured him that CDC’s autism‑vaccine messaging would not be changed; Kennedy later acknowledged Cassidy’s objections but proceeded anyway (Bogel‑Burroughs & Stolberg, 2025).
As Louisiana health official, he called COVID‑19 vaccines "dangerous," halted vaccine promotion, and supported further investigation of the debunked vaccine‑autism link (Lupkin, 2025a; ABC News, 2025b).
During the measles crisis he downplayed the significance of losing measles elimination status and framed outbreaks as consequences of personal "choice" (Protect Our Care, 2026).
Bhattacharya pushed to wind down federal mRNA vaccine development, prompting warnings from biodefense experts that this would weaken pandemic preparedness and vaccine innovation capacity (Global Biodefense, 2025b).
Makary publicly labeled CDC’s previous vaccine advisory panel a "kangaroo court" while defending major cuts to vaccine recommendations, including COVID‑19 doses for younger people (Facher, 2025; PBS NewsHour, 2025).
Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill, following a presidential memorandum, cut universally recommended vaccines from 17 diseases to 11 and moved six others into more limited "high‑risk" or "shared decision‑making" categories (CDC, 2026; HHS, 2026).
Public health legal experts warned that bypassing usual ACIP deliberations and public‑comment processes risks arbitrary decision‑making and erodes trust in vaccine policy (Families USA, 2025).
Because insurers are only required to fully cover vaccines ACIP recommends for all children, downgrading shots could lead to new out‑of‑pocket costs and lower uptake (Families USA, 2025; Biopharm, 2025).
The new ACIP voted 8–3 to limit hepatitis B vaccination at birth to infants born to mothers who are hepatitis B–positive or whose status is unknown, reversing over 30 years of universal birth‑dose practice (Lupkin, 2025b).
Pediatric infectious‑disease specialists questioned altering a policy that had dramatically reduced childhood hepatitis B based on theoretical concerns rather than clear safety signals (Lupkin, 2025b).
In a podcast interview, ACIP chair Kirk Milhoan questioned whether Americans still need the polio vaccine and suggested polio and measles vaccines should be optional, prioritizing individual autonomy over population protection (ABC News, 2026; Joseph, 2026).
Milhoan asserted that vaccines are not adequately studied for safety and dismissed vaccine safety monitoring systems as "very poor," remarks that experts warned could further erode confidence in routine shots (Joseph, 2026).
HHS acknowledged the crisis but largely blamed declining vaccination rates and eroding trust on prior administrations and the COVID era, despite the current team’s own record of vaccine‑skeptical messaging (Protect Our Care, 2026).
CDC Principal Deputy Director Ralph Abraham downplayed the significance of losing measles elimination status and framed outbreaks mainly as the result of personal "choice" and border issues (Protect Our Care, 2026).
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz urged people to "please get vaccinated" for measles and stressed the vaccine would remain covered, even as other officials continued casting doubt on vaccines more broadly (AP, 2026; The Hill, 2026).
A KFF–Washington Post survey found that only a small minority of parents had "a lot" of confidence in CDC and FDA to ensure vaccine safety, and about one in six had delayed or skipped at least one childhood vaccine (Hamel et al., 2025).
Vaccine skipping was more common among Republican parents, strong Trump supporters, and homeschooling families (Hamel et al., 2025).
Experimental work found that Trump supporters exposed to his anti‑vaccination tweets showed increased vaccine concern, while non‑supporters did not, illustrating a leader‑driven effect on hesitancy (Hornsey et al., 2020).
Pediatricians reported rising vaccine hesitancy after Kennedy took over HHS, with more families questioning routine shots and citing conflicting federal messages about vaccine safety (TODAY, 2025; Autism Science Foundation, 2025).
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has told national outlets that "the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine" and said he encourages people to get vaccinated as outbreaks have killed children in West Texas (CBS News, 2025; CNN, 2025b).
Dr. Mehmet Oz, as CMS administrator, has urged Americans to "please get vaccinated" against measles and emphasized that the vaccine will remain covered through Medicare, Medicaid, and marketplace plans (AP, 2026; The Hill, 2026).