Cassidy and Oz push back on Trump's MMR comments
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor from Louisiana, on Sunday denounced President Donald Trump's comments about the safety of the combined MMR vaccine, calling them "crazy, stupid" in an interview with CNN. Cassidy, who lost his re-election bid to a Trump-backed challenger in a Republican primary, said the president's remarks would lead to more doctor visits, more shots, and higher insurance premiums.
"If it wasn't so potentially tragic, you would break out laughing at a comment like that," Cassidy told CNN. "Let's just take it from the perspective of the parent: now instead of going to the doctor twice to get their child vaccinated, they have to go six times. Instead of the child getting two jabs, they get six jabs. Instead of the insurance company paying for two doctor's visits, they're paying for six, which is going to ultimately drive up premiums."
Cassidy's criticism followed remarks Trump made earlier this month while signing an executive order that called for changes to the recommended childhood vaccination schedule. The president said the MMR vaccine could be "quite lethal" and described the shots as "sort of like a nuclear weapon," while also suggesting that "separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective." Medical experts say the MMR vaccine is not lethal in its current form, and research does not support splitting it into separate doses.
Also on Sunday, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, publicly split with Trump on the vaccine during an appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation." Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, told host Margaret Brennan that "the MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine," but argued the issue is about parental autonomy. "We want patients to get the treatments that their doctors are recommending to them, but we also want parents to have the autonomy to decide what their kids receive," Oz said.
Brennan noted that if the combined vaccine were replaced with three separate shots, completing the series could take a decade because the MMR is currently administered in a single instance.
Cassidy's comments also touched on the broader context of his relationship with Trump. The senator has been on the president's "enemies list" since 2021, when he voted to convict Trump of "incitement of insurrection" related to the Capitol attack. He cast the decisive vote on August 8 to confirm Todd Blanche as US attorney general, drawing criticism from those who say he has continued to support Trump's nominees despite his misgivings.
Changes to CDC's vaccine-autism page
Cassidy, who voted to confirm anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as federal health secretary in early 2025, revealed that he had extracted a promise from Kennedy that "CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism." However, The Guardian reports that the CDC's "Autism and Vaccines" page was subsequently altered to add an asterisk and footnote, as well as text stating that "the claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim" and that "studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities."
Cassidy said Trump's MMR commentary "will do nothing" to address the discredited link between vaccines and autism, and he acknowledged that "the most notable opponents of Mr. Kennedy were pediatricians on the frontlines of our children's health who regularly have to combat misinformation."
Perspectives
Senator Bill Cassidy
Cassidy, a physician and outgoing Republican senator, condemned Trump's MMR comments as "crazy, stupid," warned of practical consequences (more visits, more shots, higher premiums), and expressed concern that such remarks undermine faith in immunization. He also highlighted that Trump's commentary would not help address the discredited vaccine-autism link.
Dr. Mehmet Oz
Oz, the CMS administrator, publicly stated that the MMR vaccine is not lethal, while emphasizing parental autonomy and the importance of following doctors' recommendations. He did not directly challenge Trump's broader claims but sought to clarify that the vaccine is safe.
President Donald Trump (as reported)
Trump, as quoted in reports, defended his position by calling the MMR vaccine "quite lethal" and "sort of like a nuclear weapon," while also suggesting separate vaccines might be "not at all lethal, but just very effective." His administration has ordered changes to the childhood vaccination schedule to favor separate doses.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (as reported)
Kennedy, the federal health secretary, was reported to have promised Cassidy that the CDC would not remove statements about vaccines not causing autism, though the agency's page was later altered to include language questioning that claim.