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 top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.
A Trump administration official told POLITICO the White House wants Kennedy, an anti-vaccine activist before joining forces with Trump, to lay off the shots. Surveys from Trump’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, have found Kennedy’s moves to downsize the childhood vaccine schedule are unpopular.
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The administration’s pivot arrives as Republicans worry the health secretary’s earlier moves to weaken the country’s vaccine policies will hurt them in the midterms. An October poll conducted by health policy think tank KFF and the Washington Post found the majority of MAHA parents still expressed confidence in childhood vaccine safety, while the vast majority of MAHA and non-MAHA parents agreed ultraprocessed foods were harmful.
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White House officials granted anonymity to discuss strategy attributed the changed focus to the importance health care will play in the midterms and the desire to focus on issues that have broad appeal.
“I think we’re largely done with vaccines. I think the food stuff, we’re just beginning to kind of get into more,” the official said. “When you look at what’s keeping America unhealthy, it largely has to do with obesity and diabetes and heart disease and other very diet-driven and lifestyle-driven issues.”
The Trump administration may be done with vaccines, but measles isn't done with the Trump administration. As of February 19, CDC reported 982 confirmed measles cases in the United States in 2026.. By next week, the total will top 1,000. Soon, the US will lose measles elimination status. And it is very possible that 2026 will be the worst year for measles in decades.
Voters will notice.
