Trump administration may pull COVID vaccine within months

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove the COVID-19 vaccine from the US market “within months,” according to Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a close associate of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Malhotra, a British cardiologist and outspoken critic of mRNA vaccines, told The Daily Beast that Kennedy’s views are echoed by “influential” members of President Trump’s family, though none of them hold scientific qualifications.

Malhotra, who advises the Kennedy-aligned lobby group Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Action, said Kennedy’s allies “cannot understand” why the vaccine is still being prescribed. He warned that the decision to withdraw it may come suddenly, despite potential “fear of chaos” and legal challenges, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“It could [happen] in a number of stages, including learning more about the data,” Malhotra said, referencing a review by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). “But given the increased talk of vaccine injuries in the past few weeks among the administration, it could also come with one clean decision.”

Skepticism from Kennedy’s circle is said to be rooted in a 2022 peer-reviewed paper in the journal Vaccine, which claimed a 16% higher rate of “serious adverse events” among those receiving mRNA vaccines. The study has been widely dismissed by the scientific community due to methodological concerns and claims of bias.

Kennedy and Malhotra have become close in recent years, with Malhotra saying RFK Jr. once told him, “I want to thank you for your courage.” Malhotra plans to meet Trump in September to press his case: “I think [Trump will] get it, because it’s in his interest to,” he said. “He can create a lasting legacy by doing so.”

Kennedy recently canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine funding and has called the COVID shot “the deadliest vaccine ever made.” Following a deadly shooting at CDC headquarters by an anti-vaxxer, over 750 current and former federal health employees accused Kennedy of spreading “inaccurate health information.”

In response, HHS stated Kennedy was “standing firmly with CDC employees.” White House spokesman Kush Desai added, “Any discussion about HHS policy should be dismissed as baseless speculation.”

By Vafa Guliyeva