BREAKING: Trump tackles autism epidemic, signs new EO reducing number of vaccines recommended for children

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing his administration to reshape the federal government’s recommendations for childhood vaccines, moving ahead with a major change to the nation’s immunization schedule in order to fight the increase in autism.

"We're breaking up the vaccines and we're breaking them up into time periods. Okay, not so complicated and we think we're going to have a tremendous result from doing that. Very simply, large amounts of vaccine, large amounts of like vats of vaccine are currently pumped into your child's body and we're doing 20 percent of that at each visit and we'll let time elapse between visits so the body can handle this massive amount of fluid being pumped in," Trump said from the Oval Office.

"I think it's going to make a big difference," he continued. "You know, there are some groups that have virtually no problem with autism and they, you know, I have to say this, they're groups that aren't big into the world of vaccines. So there's something wrong when we see record numbers all the time every year for years and years, every year gets higher, higher, higher autism and we think we have a very good recommendation and a lot of good things are happening.

The order reduces the number of vaccines recommended for children and divides childhood immunizations into three categories, according to the document.

Under the new policy, children will be recommended to receive vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV and varicella, also known as chickenpox.

Vaccines and treatments for certain other diseases will instead be recommended primarily for children considered to be at higher risk. That category includes RSV monoclonal antibodies as well as vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY and dengue.

Other vaccines will be subject to shared decision-making, meaning parents would discuss vaccination with their child’s doctor. Trump touted the measure as a big win for parental rights.

Those vaccine include vaccines for rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza and COVID-19. The order also calls for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to be separated into three individual shots. Trump has previously called for the combined MMR vaccine to be changed.

“The MMR, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel,” Trump said last fall. The move follows months of pressure from Trump on Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and increase federal efforts to investigate possible links between vaccines and autism.

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