So, according to Trump, autism is 'new' — unlike his 20-year-old scandals that we’re still hearing about today – We Got This Covered
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So, according to Trump, autism is ‘new’ — unlike his 20-year-old scandals that we’re still hearing about today

His delusion clearly have been around forever.

Donald Trump took to a rally at the Iowa Fairgrounds immediately after his one big, beautiful bill to — at least on paper — celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary, but it quickly turned into a victory lap for MAGA supporters. Trump assured his supporters that he won’t end there; he made more promises, including how he and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plan to curb autism.

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The details of the bill have been creating discord among observers — both supporters and opponents have pointed out specific clauses they find problematic. Yet, at the end of the day, party loyalty was more than enough to ensure the bill went through the House. Now, critics have started to look at the entire bill differently. People have begun realizing that many of these suggestions align with the much-maligned Project 2025.

One of the most concerning ambitions of Project 2025 was notably weakening the CDC and making it harder for the government agency to issue prescriptive guidance on vaccines. As you could have guessed, RFK Jr. soon fired all members of the CDC vaccine committee, citing alleged corruption. This then aligned with Trump, who took to the stage in Iowa to claim that autism rates have dramatically increased. He claimed that the reason for this is that the numbers have been “artificially induced” as opposed to the scientific consensus that autism is due to genetic factors. The President said:

“We have a statistic on autism that’s the worst I’ve ever seen. And he’s gonna change it. It used to be that 20 years ago you just didn’t have it, it’s gotta be artificially induced.”

On X, there was a user who felt that this was a matter in which he had insider knowledge. The user’s name is Robert Jon Anderson, who is 56 years old, and he pointed out how autism detection has a very storied past in the medical community, where doctors didn’t always know what they were dealing with. He also questioned whether RFK Jr.’s conclusions are based on any science.

RFK Jr.’s conclusions are not based on science. While on one hand he is firing scientists and professionals who have built their careers at the CDC vaccine department, on the other hand, he is endorsing groups that are trying to suggest that drinking bleach is the best medicine for autism. Trump’s administration has a fast-and-loose relationship with the truth — when it comes to medical findings, science is bad and unreliable. When it comes to trying to attack the trans community, they are suddenly the biggest proponents of science. It’s clear that they don’t actually have any solid, consistent beliefs — moving forward, the only way to analyze their moves should be whether Project 2025 said they would do this or not.

The scientific community will be the first to tell you just how complex autism is and how dealing with it is a forever-evolving situation, but there are no direct links to vaccines. The misinformation being spread by the Trump administration might put Americans at greater risk when it comes to completely avoidable diseases, considering just how wide their base is. The diagnosis processes are getting better, but the political rhetoric must also improve. Make America Healthy Again doesn’t have to be just a meaningless slogan.


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Author
Image of Fred Onyango
Fred Onyango
Fred Onyango is an entertainment journalist who primarily focuses on the intersection of entertainment, society, and politics. He has been writing about the entertainment industry for five years, covering celebrity, music, and film through the lens of their impact on society and politics. He has reported from the London Film Festival and was among the first African entertainment journalists invited to cover the Sundance Film Festival. Fun fact—Fred is also a trained pilot.