The Trump administration hasn’t officially taken form yet, but already there are signs that the MAHA coalition — which arguably pushed Trump over the finish line following the historic endorsement by RFK Jr. — has begun to crack, specifically over the issue of vaccine safety in the context of the COVID-19 mRNA shots in particular, as well as over all of the jabs currently recommended by the FDA more generally.
Via Wall Street Journal (emphasis added):
Two vaccine skeptics who had been advising Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as he prepares to become health secretary have been sidelined by Trump transition officials, people familiar with the matter said, underscoring a split over immunizations in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
Adviser Stefanie Spear and lawyer Aaron Siri had asked prospective administration hires about their beliefs around vaccines even if they were interviewing for posts that had little to do with immunizations, people familiar with the interviews said. Kennedy, whose hearings to lead the Department of Health and Human Services could start on Capitol Hill as early as next week, also lobbed questions related to inoculation, the people said.
The questions were different from those asked in separate meetings with President-elect Donald Trump’s staff, according to some of the people. Trump’s team asked about topics traditionally important to conservatives, such as the size of government and deregulation.
Siri is no longer advising the presidential transition, a transition spokeswoman confirmed, and people familiar with the matter said his vaccine stances played a role. Spear, who had told others she would be Kennedy’s chief of staff, was passed over for that post in favor of a veteran of the first Trump administration—in part because of her vaccine priorities and in part because of her lack of experience, according to people familiar with the matter.
Related: HHS Cuts Federal Funding to EcoHealth Alliance, ‘Nonprofit’ That Bankrolled Wuhan Lab
Per the report, “key players” (unnamed) in Trump’s ear believe that vaccine safety is a “distraction” and “political loser.”
Continuing:
The moves represent a disconnect emerging between the Trump transition and a core faction of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again coalition, which helped fuel his political rise and land him a top job in the Trump administration. Others who have embraced elements of the “MAHA” mantra, such as encouraging healthy eating, expect that Trump’s official agenda in office will have little to do with vaccines.
Some key players in both Trump’s world and Kennedy’s orbit think drastic action on vaccines would be a distraction and a political loser, people familiar with the matter said. Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Kennedy should instead focus on racking up wins in areas such as promoting healthy food and exercise, which some people advising the transition see as more politically palatable.
Meanwhile, Trump recently met with Bill Gates, considered by some (including me) to be the closest thing to literal Satan incarnate walking the planet, for what Gates frames as a very cordial three-hour dinner in which Trump expressed enthusiasm about Gates’ various biomedical terrors in the works.
JUST IN: Bill Gates says he was very “impressed” by Trump during their three hour dinner together.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 17, 2025
Everyone is falling in line. Interesting.
Gates said he and the president elect had a very “intriguing” conversation about global health.
“[Trump was] energized and looking… pic.twitter.com/raKz31YHIO
Related: SHOCKER: Bill Gates Met With Trump, Pressured Him Not to Investigate Vaccine Safety
Unlike liberals and neocons who flipped their wigs when Tucker Carlson went to Russia to interview Vladimir Putin, I don’t begrudge any leaders talking to their political opponents. In fact, it’s a great idea.
Rather than the meetings themselves, the purpose and the content of those discussions are what matter; it would be nice to know what those were regarding Trump and Gates’ summit.
We know (see link above) that Gates met with candidate and President Trump from 2015-2017, at which time he pressured him not to investigate vaccine safety.
Then came COVID, and then came Operation Warp Speed. And the rest of history.
