Trump Frustrated With RFK Jr. — Thinks He Isn’t Doing Enough to Cut Childhood Vaccinations: Report

(AP Photo)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism is well established — and yet the HHS Secretary is not moving fast enough on the issue for President Donald Trump’s liking.

According to the Wall Street Journal and reporter Liz Essley Whyte, Trump confronted Kennedy back in May about “why he wasn’t doing more to probe the alleged connection between vaccines and autism.” Kennedy was reportedly “taken aback” — as White House staffers had asked him to tone down his rhetoric on vaccines ahead of the midterms. But Trump himself contradicted that directive.

Essley Whyte wrote Trump wants to see Kennedy “do more to reduce the number of shots that federal guidelines recommend for children,” with Trump believing autism rates would eventually drop as a result.

“The issue has been an ongoing point of tension between the two men,” Essley White wrote. “In a mid-June meeting in the Oval Office, the president vented to Kennedy that he wasn’t doing enough, people familiar with the matter said.

“The president has made clear he thinks he has given Kennedy enough time and is disappointed the health secretary hasn’t accomplished more in the past year and a half, the people said.”

The Journal’s report on RFK comes on the heels of a Bloomberg feature on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz — who is reportedly seen as the “heir apparent” to Kennedy. The Journal is now likewise reporting Oz is a serious contender to replace RFK Jr. at some point.

“The president often calls or texts Oz on health policy matters that have nothing to do with his agency, people familiar with the matter said, and Oz takes responsibility for ensuring the president gets what he wants,” Essley Whyte wrote. “Oz advised the president on marijuana ahead of an executive order in December to loosen restrictions on the drug, some of the people said. Oz, an adept surrogate for the administration on TV and in the halls of Congress, is also a favorite of the White House staff.”

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