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Trump praised Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as someone who thinks outside the box, while also noting he does not agree with all of his views. He described Kennedy as a “different kind of guy” with “a lot of ideas” that “normal people” might 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 told reporters outside the White House.
Kennedy has faced mounting bipartisan criticism in Congress over his approach to vaccines and related health issues.
Addressing Florida’s recent decision to eliminate vaccine mandates for children, Trump said, “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. It’s a very tough position.” He added, “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. And when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take it.”
The president also defended Kennedy after tough questioning during a Senate hearing, saying Kennedy “got a different take, and we want to listen to all of those takes.” Trump continued, “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.”
Kennedy has repeatedly suggested a link between autism and vaccines, according to The Hill. He recently told Trump that HHS is moving toward identifying “interventions” that are “certainly causing autism,” and aims to outline possible solutions by September.
A coalition of health professionals and scientists, Defend Public Health, has urged the public to verify any new information released by HHS with other sources before treating it as fact, particularly regarding claims of a vaccine-autism connection.
Still, Trump said Kennedy’s unconventional ideas are valuable. “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. 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.”
