CAHC’s Joel White spoke with STAT News about how White House officials are steering the Trump administration away from vaccine reform, fearing the political consequences of emphasizing a relatively unpopular issue in a key election year.
But the Make America Healthy Again movement, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a health secretary with a history of anti-vaccine activism — isn’t going along without a fight.
Skewed polling to advocate for a particular position isn’t a new strategy, said Joel White, a Republican strategist and health care practice lead at Monument Advocacy.
“The credible polling clearly shows that people value vaccines and the health benefits they provide,” he said. Still, the debate could be important.
“We’re in a political year, and the president is so good at driving messages on things that people actually care about,” said White, acknowledging the different opinions about the right approach on health — seen as a critical policy area for the midterms. “There’s friction right now between the two camps.”