It seems like there might actually be a bridge too far for the Trump administration to cross. Casey Means, the current nominee for U.S. surgeon general, is now claiming that she wholeheartedly recommends people get vaccinated for measles.
Means made the declaration in written remarks sent last week to senators, following her nomination hearing late last month. During the hearing, Means repeatedly dodged questions about whether she endorsed the use of vaccines against measles and other preventable diseases. Means’s stated change of heart might be the latest indicator that Trumpworld is backing away from embracing the anti-vaccination movement, at least explicitly.
“I agree with the new acting director of the CDC Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who said, ‘The [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccine remains the most reliable and effective way to prevent’ measles,” Means said in her written remarks, obtained by MSNow over the weekend.
From evasion to recommendation
Means is a licensed physician (now inactive) turned wellness influencer, who has become especially popular among supporters of the Make America Healthy movement founded by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In her past writings, she’s expressed several dubious health-related beliefs, which have included boosting well-trod myths about the dangers of vaccination.
At the nomination hearing held by the Senate HELP committee, Means tried to soften some of her earlier stances. She repeatedly stated that vaccines save lives, for instance. At the same time, she declined to directly endorse measles vaccination for the public, stating that “each mother needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they’re putting in their children’s bodies.” She gave similar responses when asked about vaccines for the flu and hepatitis B; at another point, she refused to answer whether she believed vaccines cause autism (they don’t).
But it now seems that Means felt the need to run some additional damage control for both herself and the Trump White House in general. In her response to senators, she not only referenced Bhattacharya but also Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Early last month, Oz offered the most direct endorsement of measles vaccination of anyone in the administration to date, asking people to “take the vaccine, please.”
Similarly, Means stated in her response, “I stand with Dr. Oz’s message to Americans to take the measles vaccine.”
Antivaxxers on the run?
It’s tempting to read Means’ endorsement as an attempt to save her candidacy. Following the hearing, several GOP senators on the HELP committee stated they were still unsure or wouldn’t confirm whether they would support her nomination moving forward; Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) expressly cited vaccines as an important issue influencing her decision.
This might also be the latest sign that the Trump White House sees vaccines as a political landmine to avoid mentioning, even at the cost of alienating its MAHA supporters.
Last week, two anonymous White House officials told STAT News that the administration is pivoting away from making further vaccine policy changes in the lead-up to the midterm elections. One official was quoted as saying, “We’re just kind of done with the vaccine issue.” Other outlets have reported that the administration is instead hoping to focus on nutrition as its major health plank.
It’s certainly understandable why the White House would see anti-vaxxers as an albatross hanging around its neck. Since taking over the country’s public health, RFK Jr. has presided over the largest outbreaks of measles seen in decades, which have led to hundreds of children being hospitalized and at least three deaths so far. A poll earlier this month also found that the American public is rapidly losing trust in the federal government’s health agencies, particularly its leaders like RFK Jr.
Of course, the MAHA/anti-vaccination movement is unlikely to slink away quietly, especially with many of its members still carrying significant influence over the CDC and other agencies. So RFK Jr. and his allies may yet wreak plenty of havoc in the days to come.
