Trump urges HHS secretary to cut vaccines, cites autism

President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured his Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to intensify efforts to link childhood vaccines to autism and to drastically reduce federally recommended vaccinations, according to multiple sources familiar with their conversations. The president's demands, which contradict established public health science, have created significant tension and reportedly put Kennedy's job at risk.

The issue came to a head during a private lunch in May at Trump's golf club in Virginia, where the president directly questioned Kennedy on why he was not doing more to investigate a widely debunked connection between vaccines and autism. Kennedy was reportedly surprised by the confrontation, as White House political advisers had previously instructed him to soften his public rhetoric on vaccines ahead of the November midterm elections. The tension continued into a mid-June meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump expressed frustration that Kennedy was not making enough progress. Sources indicate the president believes he has given Kennedy ample time and is disappointed with the lack of results.

Trump's stated goal is for the Department of...