Trump Transition Co-Chair Floats Plan To 'Yank' Vaccines 'Off The Market'

In a CNN interview on Wednesday, Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and a senior figure on Donald Trump’s transition team, supported the widely debunked notion linking vaccines to autism. He revealed that Trump’s ally, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., intends to obtain "data" through a Trump administration to potentially have vaccines removed from the market.

Lutnick, a longtime associate of Trump, explained to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he had a recent, in-depth conversation with Kennedy, the former independent presidential candidate and outspoken vaccine skeptic who is backing Trump. According to Lutnick, Kennedy argued that vaccine safety is "unproven," and Lutnick, echoing these sentiments, claimed vaccines aren’t necessarily safe due to the lack of product liability protections.

“He wants the data so he can show, ‘These things are unsafe,’” Lutnick shared, quoting Kennedy, who suggested that if liability protections were removed, vaccine manufacturers would cease production. During the interview, Collins interjected to clarify that vaccines are scientifically validated as safe, but Lutnick responded with skepticism, questioning the basis for such confidence.

Kennedy has publicly declared he would play a major role in health policy if Trump wins the election, claiming that Trump promised him authority over major public health bodies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA, and the NIH. Lutnick, however, downplayed this claim, asserting that Kennedy would not be leading the Department of Health and Human Services, contrary to Kennedy’s statements.

This endorsement of anti-vaccine rhetoric follows Trump's long-standing vaccine skepticism. In a recently leaked video from July, Trump shared with Kennedy his concerns about administering what he described as an excessive number of vaccines to young children, comparing them to doses "fit for a horse."

Trump’s spokesperson declined to comment on Lutnick's statements as of Thursday morning. However, Trump and Kennedy are set to appear together at a campaign rally in Arizona, a key battleground state.