President Donald Trump's stance on childhood vaccines appears to be so controversial that they're alienating one of his key cabinet members, a move that stunned two analysts on Monday.
Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark, said on the podcast "Bulwark Takes" that Trump's vaccine policies seem to be too extreme for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has received significant criticism from medical professionals over his own stance on the issue.
Stein cited reporting from the Wall Street Journal that says Trump "feels emboldened to go further after feeling as though he has faced surprisingly little resistance to his ambitious agenda in the first nine months."
One agenda item that Trump pursued in recent weeks is changing the childhood vaccine schedule, according to the report. RFK Jr. tried to talk Trump out of "making such broad proclamations" about childhood vaccines, but Trump ignored him, the report says.
"So, he's so crazy," Stein said of Trump. "He's too crazy even for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Kennedy Jr. on vaccines."
Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, seemed stunned by the news.
"It also smacks to me of the president of the United States, who's basically taken unilateral authority," Longwell said. "He ought to be able to get a couple of things done that aren't terrible."
