There was backlash in the United States after a news report linked a Donald Trump cabinet member nominee to an attempt to revoke approval of the polio vaccine.
On Saturday, the Associated Press news agency released a statement from a spokesman for Robert F. Kennedy Jrwhom Trump appointed to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
In the statement, Kennedy’s camp sought to distance the candidate from a New York Times report that his lawyer, Aaron Siri, had sought a suspension of approval of the life-saving vaccine.
“Mr. Kennedy believes that the polio vaccine should be available to the public and should be thoroughly and properly studied,” said Katie Miller, Kennedy’s spokeswoman.
But the New York Times article has raised concerns about Kennedy’s nomination for Health and Human Services, a department whose mission is to improve “the health and well-being of all Americans.”
Like Siri, Kennedy is a vocal vaccine skeptic. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy contributed to the spread Doubt about vaccines meant to protect against the deadly virus, calling them “poorly tested” and potentially “lethal.”
And when a measles outbreak in Samoa killed more than 80 children in 2019, Kennedy wrote to the Samoan prime minister suggesting that a “defective vaccine” could be to blame. He has also promoted conspiracy theories linking vaccinations to autism – a widely debunked belief.
Kennedy has long denied being an anti-vaxxer, arguing instead that he simply wants to ensure the safety of vaccines. But members of his own family have spoken out against his track record of spreading misinformation about vaccines.
A Trump ally
Kennedy previously ran on an independent ticket in the 2024 presidential election campaign interrupt his election campaign in August and supported Trump.
He then became a prominent Trump surrogate, appearing several times on the campaign trail with the Republican leader.
Trump, for his part, teased early on that he would nominate Kennedy for his administration.
“I’m going to let him have fun on the health issue,” Trump said at a press conference Campaign stop in October at Madison Square Garden in New York. “I’ll let him go wild with the medication.”
Trumps decision to choose Kennedy’s assumption of leadership of Health and Human Services has raised concerns in the medical community about the future of efforts to curb the spread of preventable diseases.
Those concerns were reinforced Friday by the New York Times report. The article resurfaced a petition that Siri sent to the Food and Drug Administration in 2022 to revoke approval of the polio vaccine along with other vaccines.
Polio is a highly contagious disease that can cause paralysis and death. There is no cure once infected, but vaccinations can prevent the spread.
Siri enjoyed it close relationship with Kennedy. The two campaigned together during Kennedy’s run for office, and NBC News reported that Kennedy considered naming Siri as his attorney general if he succeeded in winning the White House.
Quick criticism
The backlash to Friday’s report was swift, with bipartisan condemnation.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement Friday warning that any attempt to discredit the polio vaccine could jeopardize the nominee’s Senate confirmation hearings.
He didn’t mention Kennedy by name, but the 82-year-old McConnell is known to be a survivor of polio, which left his left leg briefly paralyzed.
“Efforts to undermine public trust in proven remedies are not just uninformed – they are dangerous,” McConnell wrote.
“Anyone seeking Senate approval to serve in the new administration would do well to avoid even the appearance of association with such efforts.”
Democrats also criticized Kennedy’s connection to Siri.
“Say goodbye to your smile and hello to polio,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said in one video posted on social media. “This is a man who wants to prevent children from being vaccinated against polio and measles.”
Another senator, Chuck Schumer, called on Kennedy to make his position on the polio vaccine clear.
“It is outrageous and dangerous for people in the Trump transition to try to get rid of the polio vaccine, which has virtually eradicated polio in America and saved millions of lives,” Senate Majority Leader Schumer said. wrote. “RFK Jr. needs to state his position on this.”
Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for president and Trump’s longtime rival, posted her own rejoinder with a screenshot of a New York Times article.
“I think Trump voters will be surprised to learn that they voted to make polio great again,” she said wrotewith a rendition of Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
