The Trump and (Likely) RFK Jr. Era is Here. And Paul Offit Won't Back Down.

Amid a blitz of public health-related executive orders issued by President Trump since Monday alone, including one that will pull America out of the WHO, comes news that a date has finally been set for RFK Jr's highly-anticipated confirmation hearing -- as of the moment of publishing, it will take place next week. 

Dr. Paul Offit, a titan in the medical community and a fierce vaccine advocate, pulls no punches in confronting the very real prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heading Health and Human Services. He grapples with the sharp rise in vaccine hesitancy, the erosion of trust in public health, and the reality that mainstream science is losing the communication battle to popular podcasts and influencers championing skepticism of public health. Still, Offit refuses to back down, ease up, or give in when it comes to defending the power of vaccines. 

Offit responds to the story we feature of Daniel King, a once healthy, pro-vaccine Army veteran who says his health is now devastated and he wonders if it may have been due to the Covid vaccine—all he is looking for is some help understanding his condition and says the medical community is ignoring his pleas, further pushing him towards alternative sources of information. 

Finally, with RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearings around the corner, what’s the one question Dr. Offit most wants senators to ask? 

Huge thanks to Braver Angels and David Lapp for helping us meet Daniel King.
https://braverangels.org/

Hosts:
Brinda Adhikari
Tom Johnson
Maggie Bartlett
Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guests:
Daniel King: medically retired Army veteran; former commercial truck operator

Dr. Paul Offit: infectious disease pediatrician, vaccine specialist, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, sits on FDA Vaccines Advisory Committee

Sources:
The impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic on vaccination uptake in the U.S.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10484032/

Risks of myocarditis associated with Covid 19 vaccine
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01630-0

PEW Research Center: Americans’ Largely Positive Views of Childhood Vaccines Hold Steady
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/05/16/americans-largely-positive-views-of-childhood-vaccines-hold-steady/#:~:text=Americans%20remain%20steadfast%20in%20their,new%20Pew%20Research%20Center%20survey

Rutherford: Troops Discharged for Refusing COVID Vaccine Must Be Reinstated
https://rutherford.house.gov/media/press-releases/rutherford-troops-discharged-refusing-covid-vaccine-must-be-reinstated

Routine childhood vaccination rates lower than pre pandemic levels
https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/routine-child-vaccination-rates-lower-than-pre-pandemic-levels

Dr. Paul Offit: Don’t Call Kennedy a Vaccine Skeptic. Call Him What He Is: A Cynic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/opinion/rfk-jr-is-a-vaccine-cynic.html

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