President Donald Trump recently made claims suggesting that the MMR vaccine could be “lethal” and raised questions about its connection to autism, despite a lack of evidence supporting such a link. Now, Dr. Oz has pushed back on part of that claim, saying the MMR vaccine is “not a lethal vaccine.”
Dr. Oz directly contradicts Donald Trump’s controversial vaccine claims on live TV
Recently, Dr. Oz appeared live on Face the Nation, where he discussed the MMR vaccine, particularly President Donald Trump’s comments describing the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as “quite lethal.” Oz, the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Trump wanted Americans to have more choice when it comes to medical decisions.
Initially, the government official appeared to dodge the question, but Margaret Brennan pressed him again, bringing the focus back to Trump’s “lethal” claim about the MMR vaccine.
OZ said, “The president wants Americans — he’s said this many times — to get vaccinated as their doctor recommends. As long as they have a choice in the matter.”
“The MMR vaccine is not offered in three separate shots. Merck, which produces it, said they couldn’t offer that for another ten years. Currently it’s only offered as a single shot. The president called that single shot lethal. Do you want to clarify that?” He added.
After initially sidestepping the question, the 66-year-old eventually admitted, “The MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.”
For context, Donald Trump’s comments about the MMR vaccine drew criticism from a wide range of people and organizations, including public health agencies and medical professionals.
The backlash also included prominent figures such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who strongly criticized Trump’s remarks about the vaccine.
Cassidy, who is a gastroenterologist, called Donald Trump’s statement “wrong on so many levels” and “potentially tragic.” Former CDC chief Dr. Richard Besser also described the move as dangerous.
