Jeffrey A. Singer
With Representative Jason Smith (R‑MO) telling NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt that President Donald Trump does not want his “one big beautiful bill” to focus on health care, one might assume the administration’s first 100 days had little impact on health policy. But a closer look shows otherwise.
President Trump’s executive order to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization responds to the organization’s politicization and mission creep. While the government has a legitimate role in public health, the WHO and some domestic agencies have drifted into personal health matters, often with ideological bias. Withdrawal could pressure the WHO to reassess and reform, possibly allowing a future US return; if not, the US can pursue better ways to coordinate internationally.
Staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health have mostly positive implications, but details matter. Reducing personnel who approve new drugs and devices risks delaying patient access. However, downsizing the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health helps curb their mission creep into personal health.
Withdrawing the Biden administration’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and cigars is similarly a step in the right direction, eliminating the risk of exacerbating disparate law enforcement outcomes. One drawback of closing the Center for Tobacco Products could be slower approval of nicotine e‑cigarettes, a proven tobacco harm reduction tool that remains obstructed.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy’s recent support for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is welcome, but his promotion of Vitamin A’s unproven benefits risks misleading people into choosing it over vaccination, despite Vitamin A’s toxicity at high doses. Kennedy’s broader science messaging is also flawed; promising answers on autism’s causes by September 2025 shows a poor grasp of objective science and a simplistic view of complex health disorders.
If I had to grade Trump’s health policy so far, I’d give it a C: some smart reversals, a few worrying missteps, and plenty still to prove.