President Trump on Sunday defended Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has come below growing criticism from Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill over his dealing with of vaccines and different points.
Trump has given considerably conflicting messages during the last a number of days about Kennedy, defending his Cupboard member whereas additionally defending vaccines, together with these for polio and COVID.
In his remarks on Sunday, Trump continued with this pattern, describing Kennedy as an outside-the-box thinker, but in addition suggesting he didn’t agree with every little thing Kennedy mentioned by describing him as a “different kind of guy” who has a “lot of ideas” that “normal people” may not have.
“He’s a different kind of a guy. He’s got a lot of good ideas, but he’s got a lot of ideas,” Trump instructed reporters outdoors the White Home as he left to make a visit to New York to see the U.S. Open closing.
“You know, normally, they don’t have any ideas and that’s why we have problems with autism and so many other things, because we’re coming up with the answers for autism, you watch,” Trump continued. “We’re coming up with the answers for other things that normal people, regular people, easy-to-get-along-with people wouldn’t be able to do.”
Trump, responding Friday to a call in Florida to finish all mandates on vaccines for kids, mentioned “I think we have to be very careful.”
“You have some vaccines that are so incredible. I think you have to be very careful when you say some people don’t have to be vaccinated,” Trump continued. “It’s a very tough position. Just initially I heard about it yesterday, and it’s a tough stance.”
“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,” Trump added. “And when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take it.”
Hours after Kennedy was subjected to powerful questions at a Senate listening to, Trump mentioned Kennedy’s “got a different take, and we want to listen to all of those takes.”
“But it’s not your standard talk, I would say. And that has to do with medical and vaccines. But if you look at what’s going on in the world with health, and look at this country also with regard to health, I like the fact that he’s different.”
On the listening to on Thursday, Kennedy defended his choice to push out the top of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, a transfer that led to different resignations by senior officers.
The listening to was notable for the sharp criticism of Kennedy from senior Senate Republicans, comparable to Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), an orthopedic surgeon and the Senate GOP whip.
“I support vaccines. I’m a doctor. Vaccines work,” mentioned Barrasso, the Senate’s No. 2-ranking Republican chief.
“Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines,” he mentioned. “Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned.”
Kennedy has repeatedly prompt a hyperlink exists between autism and vaccines. He instructed Trump final week that the Division of Well being and Human Companies (HHS) is on monitor to establish “interventions” which can be “certainly causing autism” together with potential methods to handle them by September.
A nationwide coalition of well being professionals and scientists, Defend Public Well being, warned final week that the general public ought to work to verify any new data launched from HHS with different sources earlier than accepting it as reality, particularly if it associated to a potential hyperlink between vaccines and autism.
“Kennedy has been peddling nonsense about vaccines and autism for years,” mentioned Elizabeth Jacobs, a professor of epidemiology on the College of Arizona and a member of Defend Public Well being.
“He’s clearly on the hunt for anything that seems to back up his views, no matter how much he has to stretch the truth to get it.”
