As the debate over vaccine safety and policy continues to polarize the public, two prominent figures—Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Donald Trump's pick for surgeon general, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for health and human services secretary—represent starkly different perspectives.
Their differing views could see the cabinet divided over the key issue of the vaccine mandate in an administration that has not yet made any firm remarks on whether it supports vaccines. While Nesheiwat has been a proponent of vaccines, Kennedy Jr. has been one of the most vocal critics, often touting conspiracy theories and misinformation.
For example, Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly claimed that childhood vaccines cause autism, a theory thoroughly debunked by scientific studies. "I do believe that autism does come from vaccines," he said last summer in an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters.
Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirming that vaccines are not linked to autism, Kennedy continues to promote unfounded concerns about vaccine safety, including the myth that thimerosal, a preservative, contributes to autism.
In 2023, Kennedy expressed opposition to vaccine mandates for public school children and encouraged people to resist CDC guidelines on vaccinations. He has also warned against vaccinating young children, despite evidence showing that low vaccination rates lead to outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles.
In 2015, Kennedy controversially compared vaccination to the Holocaust, a remark he later apologized for. He has also called the COVID-19 vaccine the "deadliest ever made" and falsely claimed vaccines caused the 1918 flu pandemic and HIV. Despite his ongoing criticism, Kennedy maintains that he is not "anti-vaccine."
In contrast, Nesheiwat has previously described the COVID vaccine as a "gift from God."
"I'm optimistic we are on our way to ending the needless loss of lives starting with the nothing short of miraculous coronavirus vaccine and the development of therapeutics," she wrote in an opinion piece published on Fox News in 2021.
"We have many vaccines in existence that treat a variety of non-life-threatening diseases but to have a COVID vaccine, i.e. a Pfizer or Moderna mRNA that will actually save you from dying is a gift from God."
She has also said that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is highly effective.
"The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been around for many many years, at least 50/60 years, and it's highly effective. It's about 97 percent effective in preventing you from catching measles, mumps and rubella, and this is really important, because it is the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease out there," she said during a Fox News interview in January.
Kennedy Jr., on the other hand, once allegedly suggested that a statue should be erected of the disgraced British doctor Andy Wakefield, who falsely claimed the MMR vaccine causes autism.
But While Trump's proposed health secretary has been a strong opponent of vaccines, it is unclear how much influence he, or Nesheiwat, will have on policy surrounding the issue.
Trump has not made any firm remarks on whether he would consider a ban on vaccines. However, he has not ruled out doing so.
When asked in November during a phone interview with NBC News if banning certain vaccines would be an option during a second term, Trump said: "Well, I'm going to talk to him and talk to other people, and I'll make a decision, but he's a very talented guy and has strong views," referring to Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy Jr. has never explicitly said he will ban vaccines. The day after election day Kennedy Kr. posted on social media that he was "not going to take away anybody's vaccines. I've never been anti-vaccine. I'm going to make sure the scientific safety studies and efficacies are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them."
Newsweek has contacted Kennedy Jr. and Nesheiwat, as well as Trump's transition team, for comment.
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