CNN anchor Jake Tapper has questioned President Trump’s new executive order to split the MMR vaccine into separate shots, amid concerns from health experts and rising measles cases.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper criticised President Donald Trump on Monday after the White House signed an executive order that would split the combined measles, mumps and rubella shot into separate injections given at different visits. On CNN, Tapper mocked Trump’s assurance that “Nothing bad can happen”, saying the overhaul was being driven by political instincts and by health views associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary.
The move marks a significant departure from long-standing childhood immunisation practice and has drawn sharp resistance from doctors and public health officials. Axios reported that the order directs the CDC and its vaccine advisers to separate the MMR vaccine into three shots, with Trump saying the change was meant to ease safety concerns. Medical experts, however, have said there is no scientific evidence supporting that approach and warned it could make vaccination more costly and less convenient for families.
Tapper also highlighted criticism from Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican and physician who cast the decisive vote to confirm Kennedy as health secretary. Cassidy said on X that the president does not have the expertise to make such changes, added that vaccines are “overwhelmingly safe” and said parents should listen to paediatricians rather than an executive order.
The clash comes against a broader backdrop of upheaval in federal vaccine policy. FactCheck.org has documented Kennedy’s long history of mixed messaging on measles vaccination, while a federal judge in March temporarily blocked most changes to CDC vaccine recommendations that were driven by his department. The White House has defended Trump’s approach as an effort to align U.S. childhood immunisation policy with what it calls scientific evidence and the practice of peer developed countries, but public health critics say the latest order risks deepening confusion at a time when measles cases are already rising.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
