President-elect Donald Trump on Monday held a wide-ranging news conference in which he said he would preserve access to the polio vaccine but equivocated on other vaccines, pledged to look at bringing down the costs of pharmaceuticals, and noted that he was open to saving TikTok from being banned next month.
Trump held forth for over an hour, the first time he took questions from reporters since winning the election. The event harkens back to his long-winding news conferences from his first term and is a stark contrast from President Joe Biden, who doesn’t often take questions from reporters.
Here’s a look at some of the healthcare issues he touched on:
Trump Provides Some Assurances on Polio Vaccine
Trump defended his choice for health secretary, prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but said he personally is a “big believer” in the polio vaccine and would preserve access to it.
“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine,” he said. “That’s not going to happen.”
Over the weekend, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, spoke out in defense of the polio vaccine after a recent report disclosed that one of Kennedy’s advisers filed a petition to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in 2022.
Kennedy has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism, and Trump has questioned whether there’s a link, something he repeated as he remarked on the rising cases of autism being diagnosed.
“There’s something wrong, and we’re going to find out about it,” he said.
There are no blood or biological tests for autism; instead, a doctor bases the diagnosis on a child’s behavior. While the autism diagnosis has been available for at least 80 years, the definition gradually expanded to include milder cases, which are more common. A study last year found that about a quarter of kids with autism — about 110,000 in the U.S. — have the most severe version of the developmental disability, which has left them unable to speak or with an IQ below 50 or both.
Of Kennedy, “He’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” he said. “I think he’s got a very open mind, or I wouldn’t have put him there.”
Trump Blames Middlemen for High Price of Pharmaceutical Drugs
Trump described a dinner he had this month with Kennedy; Mehmet Oz, MD, a celebrity heart surgeon turned talk show host and lifestyle guru whom he’s tapped to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and top pharmaceutical executives in which they discussed drug prices.
Trump said he’s going “to have a big conversation” on drug prices and “knock out the middleman” he blamed for driving up costs.
“I don’t know who these middlemen are, but they are rich as hell,” Trump said.
Trump Appearance Is a Clear Break From Biden’s Style
The press conference was Trump’s most extensive public appearance since his victory 6 weeks ago — a rare absence from the public stage for the former reality star.
But it also underscored how even while still president-elect, Trump has seized the spotlight from Biden, who still has a month left on his term in office. Biden has not held a press conference in months and has had a limited public schedule.
While Trump was addressing some of the top-of-mind issues of the day — including sightings of drones flying over the Northeast — Biden himself has been silent, leaving it to aides to try to calm the public.
Trump Open to Intervening in Potential TikTok Ban
Trump indicated he would look at intervening in the potential ban of TikTok in the U.S. The popular social media platform must cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January under a federal law.
He didn’t offer specifics, but Trump credited the platform with helping him win the election. His campaign saw it as a bridge to reach younger, less politically engaged voters, particularly when clips circulated showing him with celebrities at UFC fights.
“We’ll take a look at TikTok,” he said. “You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”
Trump tried to ban TikTok during his first term but changed his mind and pledged to “save” TikTok. Once he takes office, his Justice Department would be tasked with enforcing the new federal law against TikTok.
A number of states have sued TikTok, claiming it is addictive and harms the mental health of children.
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