Trump announces comprehensive RFK-led review of several vaccines to ensure they are safe

Donald Trump declared Thursday that data from studies his administration will conduct on the possible harmful health effects of certain vaccines will determine whether or not he gets rid of them. The president-elect stressed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr, his nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), "does not disagree with vaccinations, all vaccinations. He disagrees probably with some."

In an interview with Time, Trump expressed his confidence in Kennedy and assured that he will listen carefully to his views on food and health issues. "I’m going to be listening to Bobby, who I've really gotten along with great and I have a lot of respect for having to do with food, having to do with vaccinations," Trump commented.

Decisions on vaccines will be made based on data from scientific studies

Questioned about whether he will eliminate vaccines given his nominee's track record to lead national health, Trump wanted to make it clear that he will do what is in the best interest of Americans. At first, he pointed to the increase in autism cases recorded in recent years, which many studies link to vaccines. Trump further insisted that many more studies are being and will be conducted so that, with figures in hand, decisions can be made.

Once he has this data, Trump said he would study what to do, and the option of eliminating some vaccines that create more problems than they solve would be on the table: "It could if I think it’s dangerous, if I think they are not beneficial, but I don’t think it’s going to be very controversial in the end."

"I want to see the numbers. It’s going to be the numbers. We will be able to do—I think you're going to feel very good about it at the end. We're going to be able to do very serious testing, and we'll see the numbers. A lot of people think a lot of different things. And at the end of the studies that we're doing, and we're going all out, we're going to know what's good and what's not good. We will know for sure what's good and what's not good," Trump said.

Kennedy's nomination under scrutiny by senators

The comments come at a time when Kennedy is under intense scrutiny, which will determine whether or not the Senate confirms him to lead HHS. Kennedy's stance on vaccines has been one of the most sensitive issues in his confirmation process. In fact, 77 Nobel laureates signed a letter asking the Senate not to approve him for the position. However, in the past, Kennedy assured us that he would not restrict vaccines to make them safe and effective.

"If vaccines are working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away," Kennedy stated, stressing that people should have the freedom to choose based on "the best information" available. "I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them," he added.