Trump once hailed mRNA vaccines as a 'medical miracle.' Now RFK Jr. is halting advancement
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hailed as a 'medical miracle' the mRNA vaccines developed to combat the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Now, his health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is effectively halting the vaccine technology's advancement. Kennedy announced Tuesday that the federal government is canceling $500 million worth of mRNA research development contracts, putting an end to U.S.-backed hopes for the vaccine technology to prevent future pandemics, treat cancer or prevent flu infections.
It's a sharp pivot from how Trump and top officials described the technology during his first term.
Here's a look at what Trump and some of his closest advisers have said about mRNA vaccines that were credited with slowing the pandemic five years ago.
Robert Redfield, Trump's director of the Centers for Disease Control
'A COVID-19 vaccine is the thing that will get Americans back to normal everyday life,' said Redfield, in a Sept. 16, 2020, statement.
Americans were still donning face masks as one of the few ways of protecting themselves from a virus that had killed nearly 200,000 in just over six months. Redfield promised that the new vaccines — developed for the first time using mRNA technology — would offer a return to normalcy.
Trump wanted to make sure Biden didn't get credit
'Don't let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines ... because the vaccines were me, and I pushed people harder than they've ever been pushed before .. The vaccines are — there are those that say it's one of the greatest things. It's a medical miracle.' Trump said on Nov. 26, 2020, during a news conference in the White House.
Weeks earlier, Trump had lost the election in a bitter race against Democrat Joe Biden. As the Republican grappled with leaving Washington and continued to plan for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, he reminded reporters that he oversaw the development of the new shots.
'They say it's somewhat of a miracle and I think that's true,' Trump said on Dec. 8, 2020, during a speech at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The event celebrated 'Operation Warp Speed," the government-funded project that accelerated vaccine development with pharmaceutical companies. Trump was promoting the shots as the government prepared to offer them to frontline health workers.
Trump's first-term health secretary, Alex Azar
'It's clear that many Americans are learning these vaccines are safe and extraordinarily effective,' Azar said on Dec. 16, 2020, at a news conference.
The government was shipping out mRNA vaccines to states, preparing to distributed it to the masses. Azar noted that a vast majority of Americans — between 70% to 80%, according to polls — intended to get the new COVID-19 vaccine that would be available to the public in the coming months.
Gen. Gusave Perna, Trump's chief operating officer for pandemic response
'It takes somewhere between five and 10 years to put a vaccine on the street. Look what we did. Now, that's because of the great work of the scientists who had done the research on mRNA vaccines and others because of industry working on this, they just didn't wake up one day and start working on it,' Perna said during a podcast interview that aired on May 9, 2023.
Reflecting in an interview about his time overseeing 'Operation Warp Speed,' Perna credited the mRNA technology with the government's ability to get shots in arms mere months after the pandemic started claiming lives in the U.S. in 2020.
Trump supporters boo his vaccine accomplishments
'Take credit because we saved tens of millions of lives. Take credit. Don't let them take that away from you,' Trump said on Dec. 19, 2021 during a live interview with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly.
Daily COVID-19 deaths had ticked down to 1,500 compared to 3,000 from a year earlier after Americans began receiving their first doses of the mRNA vaccines.
Trump revealed to O'Reilly and the audience that he had just gotten a COVID-19 booster.
The crowd booed.
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These statements may be identified by words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will," "should," "could," "would," "project," "continue," "likely," and similar expressions, and include statements reflecting future results or guidance, statements of outlook, and various accruals and estimates. These matters are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. These risks and uncertainties include risks associated with our planned acquisition of Solaris Health, including the risk that we may not receive required regulatory approval or physician consents or otherwise fail to complete the transaction; the risk that we may fail to realize the anticipated strategic and financial benefits of the acquisition, whether as a result of external factors that may impact the profitability of the business or due to unforeseen challenges. 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Gold (GC=F) has been surging all year, and buying gold bars from Costco is just about the easiest way to get your hands on the precious metal — if you're lucky enough to find them in stock. However, the surprising announcement of additional tariffs on gold bars by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) left many wondering if the duties applied to Costco's gold bars as well. Yahoo Finance's Hal Bundrick reports: Read more here. US consumers to bear brunt of tariff hit: Goldman Goldman Sachs GS) says that President Trump's tariffs are only beginning to raise prices for shoppers, adding more uncertainty to the Treasury market where investors are unsure about how quickly interest rates will be cut. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Goldman Sachs GS) says that President Trump's tariffs are only beginning to raise prices for shoppers, adding more uncertainty to the Treasury market where investors are unsure about how quickly interest rates will be cut. 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Why Trump's soybean ask of China is 'highly unlikely' China is the world's largest soybean buyer, with nearly a quarter of those purchases coming from the US (and most of the rest coming from Brazil). President Trump's statement that he hopes "China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders" would require China to import the vast majority of its soybeans from the U.S. "It's highly unlikely that China would ever buy four times its usual volume of soybeans from the US," Johnny Xiang, founder of Beijing-based AgRadar Consulting, told Reuters. Read more here. China is the world's largest soybean buyer, with nearly a quarter of those purchases coming from the US (and most of the rest coming from Brazil). President Trump's statement that he hopes "China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders" would require China to import the vast majority of its soybeans from the U.S. "It's highly unlikely that China would ever buy four times its usual volume of soybeans from the US," Johnny Xiang, founder of Beijing-based AgRadar Consulting, told Reuters. Read more here. US gold futures fall as traders await clarification on tariffs US gold futures (GC=F) in New York fell 2% as traders waited for the White House to clarify its tariff policy. Last week, the US Customs and Border agency surprised the market by ruling that 100oz and 1kg gold bars would face tariffs. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. US gold futures (GC=F) in New York fell 2% as traders waited for the White House to clarify its tariff policy. Last week, the US Customs and Border agency surprised the market by ruling that 100oz and 1kg gold bars would face tariffs. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. 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It was a race against time for DuBois CEO Thomas Steinemann and his company to ship five high-end watches to the US before blocking orders on its US website. Overall, the US accounts for 17% of Switzerland's watch exports. As of April, goods from the country faced a much lower 10% tariff rate. Reuters reports: Read more here. It was a chaotic week for the 240-year-old Swiss watch manufacturer DuBois et fils, as the company rushed to ship watches before President Trump's surprise 39% tariff rate on Switzerland went into effect on Thursday. It was a race against time for DuBois CEO Thomas Steinemann and his company to ship five high-end watches to the US before blocking orders on its US website. Overall, the US accounts for 17% of Switzerland's watch exports. As of April, goods from the country faced a much lower 10% tariff rate. Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs are starting to squeeze farmers' profits President Trump has said he loves farmers, but his policies are starting to ripple across the agriculture industry. Trump's tariff policies, in particular, are beginning to raise the cost of machinery and fertilizers, weighing on profits. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. President Trump has said he loves farmers, but his policies are starting to ripple across the agriculture industry. Trump's tariff policies, in particular, are beginning to raise the cost of machinery and fertilizers, weighing on profits. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. The US has slapped a 39% tariff on Switzerland, leaving the country's leaders reeling Bloomberg took a deep dive looking at how the tariff negotiations between the Trump administration and Switzerland began with promise, but eventually led to the US slapping a devastating 39% levy on the country: Read more here. Bloomberg took a deep dive looking at how the tariff negotiations between the Trump administration and Switzerland began with promise, but eventually led to the US slapping a devastating 39% levy on the country: Read more here. Trump says US court ruling against tariff authority 'would be 1929 all over again' Yahoo Finance's Alexis Keenan reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Alexis Keenan reports: Read more here. Carney is patching up ties with Mexico in face of Trump threats Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is working to repair relations with Mexico as both nations prepare for the fallout from US tariffs. Canrey recently met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and various corporate executives. Bloomberg reports: Read more from Bloomberg here. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is working to repair relations with Mexico as both nations prepare for the fallout from US tariffs. Canrey recently met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and various corporate executives. Bloomberg reports: Read more from Bloomberg here. Swiss plane maker Pilatus halts business jet deliveries to US over tariffs Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus said it temporarily stopped deliveries of its PC-12 and PC-24 business jets to the US after President Trump imposed a punishing 39% tariff rate on imports from Switzerland. "The new customs tariff imposed by the US authorities represents a significant competitive disadvantage for Pilatus," the privately held company said. From Reuters: Read more here. Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus said it temporarily stopped deliveries of its PC-12 and PC-24 business jets to the US after President Trump imposed a punishing 39% tariff rate on imports from Switzerland. "The new customs tariff imposed by the US authorities represents a significant competitive disadvantage for Pilatus," the privately held company said. From Reuters: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
