Gavin Newsom ripped into Donald Trump yet again after his directive to the Health Department led to a massive shake-up in the childhood vaccination schedule.
The California governor, 58, accused the 79-year-old president of putting children’s lives at risk after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut down the number of recommended shots for American kids from 17 to 11.
“Donald Trump endangering the lives of children, again,” Newsom wrote in an X post.
“Meningitis Across Generations Again,” he quipped in another, mocking Trump’s signature MAGA acronym.
In December, Trump instructed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine crusader, to review the best practices of developed nations in childhood vaccination.
“Other current United States childhood vaccine recommendations also depart from policies in the majority of developed countries,” the president said in a memorandum. “Study is warranted to ensure that Americans are receiving the best, scientifically supported medical advice in the world.”
The CDC, led in an acting capacity by Kennedy’s deputy Jim O’Neill, wasted no time in overhauling the childhood immunization schedule to more closely reflect the one in Denmark.
O’Neill announced on Monday that the updated schedule—effective immediately—recommends children be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella.
Under the new guidance, vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis A and B, meningitis, and dengue will only be recommended for “high-risk” groups. Meanwhile, vaccines against hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza, and COVID-19 will be “based on shared clinical decision making.” Insurance will still cover all shots.
“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” Kennedy said in a statement. “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”
Trump touted the new schedule in a misleading Truth Social post that claimed the U.S. used to “require 72 ‘jabs’ for our beautiful, healthy children.” The figure is typically cited as the number of shots a child will have received by age 18, based on the recommended vaccines, according to the Yale School of Public Health.
“We are moving to a far more reasonable Schedule, where all children will only be recommended to receive Vaccinations for 11 of the most serious and dangerous diseases,” Trump wrote. “Parents can still choose to give their children all of the Vaccinations, if they wish, and they will still be covered by insurance.”
Dr. Neil Stone, an infectious diseases doctor, accused Kennedy of “acting out his anti-vax fantasy.”
“Kids will die,” he said on X.
Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate health committee whose vote was crucial to Kennedy’s confirmation as health secretary, reminded the public that the vaccine schedule is not a mandate but simply “a recommendation giving parents the power.”
“Changing the pediatric vaccine schedule based on no scientific input on safety risks and little transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients and doctors, and will make America sicker,” Cassidy, himself a medical doctor, warned.
Ed Markey, a Democrat on the Senate health committee, said Kennedy’s “anti-vaccine crusade makes ‘America First’ in reversing decades of progress to keep kids healthy.”
“Today’s announcement means more children and families will suffer under Trump and RFK’s Make America Sick Agenda,” he said.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the Daily Beast in a statement that “no one is more concerned about the health and well-being of America’s children than President Trump, which is why his administration conducted a comprehensive evaluation of other developed countries’ vaccine policies to realign the American childhood vaccination schedule.”
The Health Department, for its part, dismissed the criticisms of the new vaccination schedule as “entirely false.”
“Americans voted for transparency after years of sweeping pandemic mandates that eroded public trust and fueled broader vaccine concerns,” Press Secretary Emily Hilliard said. “The updated CDC childhood schedule continues to protect children against serious diseases while aligning U.S. guidance with international norms.”
