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Across the country, public school districts require children to be fully immunized against, among other things, polio, measles, hepatitis B, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis before they can attend classes. These policies have existed for years; they’ve been incredibly effective; they enjoy the support of public-health officials; and they haven’t been especially controversial.
Indeed, up until quite recently, assorted partisans didn’t think to make much of a fuss about it.
And yet, there was Donald Trump in Wisconsin yesterday, telling his followers to robust applause, “I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate.”
For those who keep an eye on the former president’s rhetoric, the line was familiar. After all, the Republican recently peddled the identical line in Michigan. And Florida. And Washington, D.C. And Texas, Minnesota, and New Jersey. And Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, and Virginia.
And that's just recently. Trump has made the same declaration, word for word, for over a year.
Every time, his base applauds, offering timely reminders that Trump often takes his cues from his followers, as opposed to the other way around. Far-right voters oppose lifesaving vaccines, so the Republican candidate is only too pleased to tell them what they want to hear.
When Trump first started peddling this vow, there was some discussion about whether he was referring specifically to Covid vaccine mandates or all vaccine mandates, but the presumptive GOP nominee, at least publicly, has ignored the distinction. What’s more, in some instances, Trump has said his policy would apply to all public education, “from kindergarten through college.”
Or put another way, a second Trump administration — if the candidate’s promises are to be believed — would be prepared to cut federal support from every public school district in the United States, as well as most institutions of higher learning. (Remember, all 50 states require vaccinations for students.)
I’m mindful of the fact that some will see this and assume that Republican is just thumping his chest to impress his party’s boisterous anti-science base, and Trump wouldn’t really cut off schools for trying to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. In other words, voters shouldn’t be too concerned, the argument goes, because the former president is probably lying and might not keep his promise.
But this is hardly reassuring. For one thing, it’s hardly comforting to think Americans will hopefully get lucky and the presumptive GOP nominee will abandon one of his key campaign promises after Election Day.
For another, Trump’s defunding promise is part of a larger set of concerns. As Politico reported, if the Republican were to return to power, he’d be able to apply his anti-vaccine posture in a variety of ways.
The CDC could pare back the number of vaccines it recommends children receive or eliminate those recommendations entirely. The CDC could change the paperwork required to be shared with parents to make vaccines sound less safe than they are. Or the FDA could increase the number of years of safety testing required for new vaccines and impose other onerous requirements for vaccines to be approved in the U.S. Trump also could, as a thank-you to vaccine skeptics for their support in November, appoint someone who opposes the government’s traditional role in promoting vaccines.
Politico added, “Public health experts say a White House opposed to immunization mandates could potentially cause upticks in cases of measles, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, or hamper efforts to fight a future pandemic.”
For those who care about the stakes in the 2024 elections, this probably belongs near the top of the list.