Across the country, public school districts require children to be fully vaccinated against polio, measles, hepatitis B, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, among other things, before they can attend classes. This policy has been in place for years; they have been incredibly effective; they have the support of public health officials; and they have not been particularly controversial.
Until recently, several partisans did not think to make a big fuss about it.
And yet there was Donald Trump yesterday in Wisconsin, telling his followers to loud applause, “I will not give a dime to any school that has a vaccine mandate.”
For those who keep an eye on the former president’s rhetoric, the phrase was familiar. After all, the Republican recently expressed the same line in Michigan. And Florida. And Washington, DC and Texas, MinnesotaAnd New Jersey. And Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgiaand Virginia.
And that was only recently. Trump has been making the same statement word for word for over a year.
Each time, his supporters applaud, providing a timely reminder that Trump often takes cues from his followers, rather than the other way around. Far-right voters oppose life-saving vaccines, so the Republican candidate is happy to tell them what they want to hear.
When Trump first began making this vow, there was some debate over whether he was referring specifically to Covid vaccine mandates or to all vaccine mandates, but the presumptive Republican Party nominee has, at least publicly, ignored the distinction. Additionally, Trump has said in some cases that his policies would apply to all public education, “from kindergarten through college.”
Or put another way, a second Trump administration — if the candidate’s promises are to be believed — would be willing to cut federal support from every public school district in the United States, as well as most institutions of higher education. (Remember, all 50 states require vaccinations for students.)
I’m mindful of the fact that some will see this and assume the Republican is just thumping his chest to impress his party’s boisterous anti-science base, and Trump wouldn’t do that. Real close schools as they try to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. In other words, voters shouldn’t worry too much, the argument goes, because the former president is likely lying and may not keep his promise.
But this is hardly reassuring. For starters, it is hardly reassuring to think that Americans will hopefully get lucky and that the presumptive Republican nominee will abandon one of his key campaign promises after Election Day.
On the other hand, Trump’s promise to cut funding is part of a larger set of concerns. As Politico reported, if the Republican returns to power, he could use his anti-vaccine stance in several ways.
Politico added: “Public health experts say a White House that opposes immunization mandates could potentially cause a surge in cases of measles, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, or hamper efforts to combat a future pandemic could hinder.”
For those concerned about the stakes in the 2024 election, this probably belongs at the top of the list.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
