Trump Executive Order Aims to Reduce Childhood Vaccinations
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that calls for fewer childhood vaccines and recommends splitting the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) shots.
“Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “In those times, people were much healthier and the high rates of autism now observed did not exist.”
Trump’s administration has long promoted a discredited link between MMR vaccines and autism, yet a vast body of research shows no causal relationship. The order does not override state‑level school‑required vaccine mandates, which remain under local authority.
He explained that his administration recognizes the “gold standard” of childhood vaccine recommendations for 11 core diseases. The list includes:
- Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis
- Polio
- Haemophilus influenzae type B
- Pneumococcal disease
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Varicella (chicken‑pox)
“We’re reducing them,” Trump said. “It’s not only that you’re doing fewer vaccines, but doing them in a series of visits to the doctor.”
