Trump demands ‘proof’ vaccines work amid CDC turmoil
President Donald Trump is questioning the very vaccines he once hailed as a historic achievement. He’s now demanding drug companies prove they work.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump stated that he has seen “great numbers” from pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, but claims the companies aren’t sharing the data publicly.
“With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW,” Trump said in the post.
Tensions at the CDC
The comments come just days after the Trump administration fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez.
Monarez was fired after reportedly clashing with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy. Her lawyers have since fought against her termination, saying she was fired because she stood up for science.
In the meantime, the White House tapped deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill as the interim CDC director.
Recent vaccine guidance
Trump’s demand for vaccine data also comes as Kennedy moves to limit who can and should receive COVID boosters.
The latest guidance further limits who can receive the shot. Those approved are adults 65 and older, and children with at least one underlying condition.
Public health experts note multiple studies have proven the vaccines are effective. They also stated that reputable organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the FDA, have endorsed the vaccines.
Over the weekend, nine former CDC directors, spanning Republican and Democratic administrations, penned an op-ed in The New York Times warning that Kennedy’s overhaul should “alarm every American, regardless of political leanings.”
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
