Trump’s Cabinet Meeting Reignites Vaccine-Autism Controversy

During a recent cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump appeared to endorse previously discredited theories connecting vaccines to autism. This discussion follows the Trump administration’s proposals to cut funding for local and state childhood vaccination initiatives.

Significant Health Claims Made During the Meeting

In this meeting held on Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced an ambitious plan to determine the causes of autism in the U.S. by September. “At your direction, we are going to know by September. We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world,” stated Kennedy. He claimed the findings would help eliminate potential causes of autism.

“If you can come up with that answer, where you stop taking something, you stop eating something, or maybe it’s a shot,” Trump remarked, implying there may be a link between vaccines and autism.

Public Reaction to the Controversial Statements

The reactions from social media were swift and critical, as users expressed disbelief and concern over the President’s remarks. One user tweeted, “They are going to make curable diseases great again,” highlighting the public’s frustration with the narrative surrounding vaccines.

“I’ll tell you now so we don’t have to pretend it’s being researched. They’ll blame the COVID, flu, and many other vaccines with nothing real to back it up,” another user remarked, reflecting skepticism about the forthcoming research.

“Is he going to advocate for a shot of bleach? Again,” quipped another commenter, referencing past controversial comments made by Trump about alternative treatments.

Additionally, one user pointed out the extensive research already conducted on autism, questioning Trump’s claim that new conclusions would emerge soon: “It has been studied for decades but he will know by September? And perhaps it is NOT an epidemic but it is more frequently diagnosed than before.”

Funding Cuts Amidst Controversy

Amid ongoing discussions about autism research, the Trump administration proposed cutting approximately $11 billion from programs targeting public health issues including infectious diseases, mental health, and childhood vaccination efforts. When questioned about the funding reductions, Secretary Kennedy acknowledged he was unaware of these proposed cuts.

“No, I’m not familiar with those cuts. We’d have to go … the cuts were mainly DEI cuts, which the president ordered,” he stated regarding the financial impact on health initiatives.

Originally published on Latin Times.