US president Donald Trump on Friday said Americans should take vaccines that are “not controversial,” as he distanced himself from Florida’s plan to scrap all vaccine mandates, including those for schoolchildren.
Trump’s remarks came when a reporter asked for his response to the new policy pushed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis. It also comes at a time when his health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is facing criticism inside the CDC for his long-held scepticism of vaccines.
“I think we have to be very careful,” Trump said. “Look, you have some vaccines that are so amazing.” He praised the polio vaccine as “amazing” and noted that many people consider the Covid-19 vaccine to be the same.
“I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very tough position,” he added. “Look, you have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used; otherwise, some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people. And when you don't have controversy at all, I think people should take it."
Meanwhile, Kennedy, whom Trump has continued to back, has drawn criticism for his actions as health secretary. In June, he dismissed all 17 members of the federal vaccine safety advisory committee and replaced them with his own picks. The FDA tightened its rules in August on who can receive the latest Covid-19 vaccines, recommending them only for people over 65 or those with underlying health conditions.
Trump also fired CDC director Susan Monarez on August 27 after she clashed with Kennedy on vaccine policy.
Kennedy faced a heated Senate finance committee hearing on Thursday, where he refused to accept that more than 1 million Americans died from coronavirus. “I don’t know how many died. I don’t think anybody knows because there was so much data chaos coming out of the CDC,” he said.
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