President Trump urges pharmaceutical firms to publicly show evidence that Covid-19 vaccines and drugs are effective
The post comes amid turmoil at the CDC following the ouster of its director and senior staff
Trump signals support for Operation Warp Speed but questions whether companies shared data widely enough
President Trump on Monday called on pharmaceutical companies to “prove” their Covid-19 products work, pressing them to make public data that he says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not received.
“I want the answer, and I want it NOW,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, suggesting that the CDC is being “ripped apart” by uncertainty over the issue.
Drugmakers have already published large volumes of research in medical journals and with regulators showing that vaccines are safe and effective. Trump acknowledged he has seen “extraordinary” evidence that the vaccines and treatments saved millions of lives, but he accused companies such as Pfizer of failing to share that data broadly enough. Pfizer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump distancing RFK Jr.?
The post comes just days after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. forced out CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Kennedy has pledged to rebuild trust in the agency but has drawn criticism from scientists and former officials who say his cuts and rhetoric have weakened public health. Nine former CDC directors, writing in The New York Times on Monday, warned Kennedy’s actions are “endangering the entire nation.”
Trump’s support is central to Kennedy’s agenda, but his message Monday suggested some distance from Kennedy’s anti-vaccine stance. While the president raised questions about transparency, he did not claim the vaccines were harmful — and he reminded followers of his role in launching Operation Warp Speed, the government program that produced the shots.
“I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as ‘BRILLIANT’ as many say it was,” Trump wrote. “If not, we all want to know about it, and why???”
The comments drew mixed reactions. Vaccine skeptics read them as an attack on drugmakers, while public health advocates saw them as an attempt to stake out middle ground. One former official summed it up as “a Rorschach test,” noting that Trump’s words could be taken in different ways depending on the audience.
What you need to know
Trump called out drug companies to publicly share Covid-19 vaccine and treatment data.
Health Secretary RFK Jr. is reshaping the CDC, drawing sharp criticism from former agency leaders.
Vaccines remain proven safe and effective, but political battles could affect how the public views them.