# Trump links vaccines to autism **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 10, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819 "2017-01-10T15:59:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/1 "2017-01-10T15:59:01Z")
[Here’s the direct link](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/449525268529815552?lang=en) and here’s what he wrote > [@](#): > > Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn’t feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases! It is becoming increasingly clear that the sole reason this creature has been placed on Earth is to create a constantly swirling shit-storm, and there is no controversy, conspiracy theory, or issue that will escape being painted by the massive discharge of feces cast by this monsoon of excrement. What does this tweet accomplish? Does it mean Trump will assign resources to researching a link between vaccines and autism (even though the work has already been done and proven conclusively that there is none)? Does it offer any ideas to assist those who believe their children were harmed by vaccines? Is there any possible positive outcome of spewing this stream of feculence into the ether? Of course not. It is just another anti-science broadside that serves as notice that President Trump will not be swayed by facts, reason, argument, or intelligent discourse. He will define reality by fiat and the facts be damned. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/2 "2017-01-10T16:13:16Z")
It’s like having your senile grandfather in the White House. He believes whatever the last person told him, applies no intellectual rigor to what he’s heard, then spews it out for the masses to lap up. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/3 "2017-01-10T17:09:13Z")
He’s a jerk. But this is also a nearly three-year-old example of his jerkdom.\* Aside from naming ninnies for federal healthcare-related posts, Trump has limited power to affect national vaccine policy, apart from vaccines coming up again on his daily tweet spews. \*We have [a perfectly good current example](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/01/10/cleveland-clinic-doc-pens-viral-screed-against-vaccines-peers-call-it-post-truth-medicine/?utm_term=.cb0015ffd4f3) of someone in a position of influence embarrassing himself and the institution that hired him over a brainless antivax rant. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/4 "2017-01-10T17:10:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s like having your senile grandfather in the White House. He believes whatever the last person told him, applies no intellectual rigor to what he’s heard, then spews it out for the masses to lap up. So… he’s **aceplace57**? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/5 "2017-01-10T17:12:59Z")
Thanks for the clarification, this hit my consciousness earlier this week and I couldn’t figure out why it hadn’t already spawned a Pit thread! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/6 "2017-01-10T17:13:14Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > He’s a jerk. > > But this is also a nearly three-year-old example of his jerkdom.\* And a big deal of this was made during one of the primary debates. Dumb move by Trump, but hardly news. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/7 "2017-01-10T17:45:59Z")
The thing with Trump is he says so many ridiculous, potentially harmful things. Of course, maybe his plan is to hid the nefarious parts of his agenda that he will actually work to implement inside of an avalanche of stupid believing the people will simply give up wading through the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/8 "2017-01-10T18:07:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And a big deal of this was made during one of the primary debates. Dumb move by Trump, but hardly news. But what _is_ news is that Trump is meeting today with [noted anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](http://www.vox.com/2017/1/10/14225038/trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr-anti-vaxxer-autism-vaccine) to discuss immunizations. So this may be something that comes up again going forward, if he continues his habit of repeating what he heard from the last person he talked to. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/9 "2017-01-10T18:59:03Z")
Not my president. He’s a fucking moron {I’m doing my “fucking moron” hand gestures here}. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/10 "2017-01-10T19:02:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Not my president. He’s a fucking moron {I’m doing my “fucking moron” hand gestures here}. One hand making a circle with thumb and forefinger, the other hand extending pointing finger towards said circle…and missing repeatedly? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/11 "2017-01-10T19:21:03Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s like having your senile grandfather in the White House. He believes whatever the last person told him, applies no intellectual rigor to what he’s heard, then spews it out for the masses to lap up. Senility rarely leads to this kind of uncritical re-spewage unless the person was prone to it before. Never forget that Fred Trump was senile at least six years before his death. Given the insulation that being rich gives, I’d bet he was behaving oddly well before that. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/12 "2017-01-10T19:22:23Z")
> [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](#): > > But what _is_ news is that Trump is meeting today with [noted anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](http://www.vox.com/2017/1/10/14225038/trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr-anti-vaxxer-autism-vaccine) to discuss immunizations. Wow, a DEMOCRAT! > [@](#): > > So this may be something that comes up again going forward, if he continues his habit of repeating what he heard from the last person he talked to. Won’t this be fun after security briefings and situation room events? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/13 "2017-01-10T19:26:27Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Wow, a DEMOCRAT! > Won’t this be fun after security briefings and situation room events? Actually, some polls of anti-vaxxers found it crosses political lines more or less evenly. Surprisingly, middle class and up is somewhat more inclined to be anti-vax. I’ll see if i can track one down. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/14 "2017-01-10T19:29:01Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Wow, a DEMOCRAT! Anti-vax nuttery is sadly about as bipartisan bit of woo as you can find. It’s something crunchy vegan moms in Berkeley and pickup w/ gun-rack-driving dads in Dallas can come together and agree on. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/15 "2017-01-10T19:36:05Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Actually, some polls of anti-vaxxers found it crosses political lines more or less evenly. > Surprisingly, middle class and up is somewhat more inclined to be anti-vax. > I’ll see if i can track one down. [Everything You Need to Know About Anti-Vaxxers](http://sociology.about.com/od/Current-Events-in-Sociological-Context/fl/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-Anti-Vaxxers.htm) > [@](#): > > **Anti-Vaxxers are Predominantly Wealthy and White** > Several studies have found that recent outbreaks among unvaccinated populations have been clustered among upper and middle-income populations. > > **Anti-Vaxxers Trust in Social Networks, Not Medical Professionals** > A 2011 study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that parents who chose to not vaccinate did not believe vaccines to be safe and effective, did not believe their children at risk of the disease in question, and had little trust in the government and medical establishment on this issue. The 2004 study cited above found similar results. > > Importantly, a 2005 study found that social networks exerted the strongest influence in the decision to not vaccinate. Having anti-vaxxers in one’s social network makes a parent significantly less likely to vaccinate their children. This means that as much as non-vaccination is an economic and racial trend, it is also a cultural trend, reinforced through the shared values, beliefs, norms, and expectations common to one’s social network. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/16 "2017-01-10T19:36:39Z")
> [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](#): > > But what _is_ news is that Trump is meeting today with [noted anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](http://www.vox.com/2017/1/10/14225038/trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr-anti-vaxxer-autism-vaccine) to discuss immunizations. So this may be something that comes up again going forward, if he continues his habit of repeating what he heard from the last person he talked to. If that is the case, put aside the climate change issue where his ignorance just will likely cause deaths; anti-vaccination is an item where it _is very certain_ that people will die just by Trump using the big bully pulpit to spew that kind of ignorance that will misguide more people than ever before into avoiding vaccinations. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/17 "2017-01-10T19:41:04Z")
[The biggest myth about vaccine deniers: That they’re all a bunch of hippie liberals](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/01/26/the-biggest-myth-about-vaccine-deniers-that-theyre-all-a-bunch-of-hippie-liberals/?utm_term=.0bf338c600c2) > [@](#): > > - In a 2013 paper in PLOS One, Stephan Lewandowsky and two colleagues studied what makes people reject vaccines, and got a complicated result. Namely, they found that while political conservatism made people somewhat more pro-vaccine, having a free market ideology led in the opposite direction — towards having more vaccine skepticism. > > “Opposition to vaccinations involved a balance between two opposing forces, namely a negative association with free-market endorsement and a compensatory positive association with conservatism,” wrote the authors. “The different polarity of those associations is consonant with the notion that libertarians object to the government intrusion arising from mandatory vaccination programs, whereas people low on conservatism — who, by implication, are liberal or progressive — may oppose immunization because they distrust pharmaceutical companies.” > > - In 2014, meanwhile, Yale’s Dan Kahan published results from a nationally representative survey which led him to conclude that the idea of vaccine fears being driven by leftwing ideology “lacks any factual basis.” In fact, Kahan found, “respondents formed more negative assessments of the risk and benefits of childhood vaccines as they became more conservative and identified more strongly with the Republican Party.” However, as in the prior study, this was a very slight effect. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/18 "2017-01-10T19:48:06Z")
This explains a lot. [TRUMP’S TWITTER ACCOUNT WAS HACKED BY FOUR-YEAR-OLD](http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/intel-chiefs-say-trumps-twitter-account-was-hacked-by-four-year-old) ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/19 "2017-01-10T20:05:35Z")
> [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](#): > > But what _is_ news is that Trump is meeting today with [noted anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](http://www.vox.com/2017/1/10/14225038/trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr-anti-vaxxer-autism-vaccine) to discuss immunizations. So this may be something that comes up again going forward, if he continues his habit of repeating what he heard from the last person he talked to. Turns out this thread is somewhat timely after all. NBC is reporting that Trump has asked Kennedy to [chair a commission on ‘Vaccine Safety’](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-meets-anti-vaccine-activist-after-raising-fringe-theory-trail-n705296) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819/20 "2017-01-10T20:10:13Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > This explains a lot. [TRUMP’S TWITTER ACCOUNT WAS HACKED BY FOUR-YEAR-OLD](http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/intel-chiefs-say-trumps-twitter-account-was-hacked-by-four-year-old) Four-year-olds have more sense and thicker skin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-links-vaccines-to-autism/776819.md?page=2)