Trump’s vaccine executive order likely erodes public trust, says epidemiologist

President Trump signed an executive order that claims to restore confidence in childhood vaccines by scaling back state mandates and trimming the recommended schedule from 18 diseases to 11.

The opinion piece argues the measure actually targets parents who are unsure about vaccines, presenting the revised schedule as a new "gold standard" while the government simultaneously changes long‑standing recommendations.

A June KFF poll identified a "malleable middle" of 31% of adults whose views on vaccine information are inconsistent; among parents who delay or skip shots, 45% fall in this group, suggesting the order could further weaken trust among the most hesitant.