Doctors say President Donald Trump’s new executive order on vaccines is misguided and likely to stoke fear and confusion among parents at a time when measles is raging, immunization rates are falling and children are heading back to school.
“Many families are finishing up that back-to-school checklist, and among those things is the medical checkup and assuring that their kids have their vaccines,” Michigan pediatrician Dr. Molly O’Shea said. “To put into question the safety or efficacy of these vaccines right now is really unfortunate and ill-conceived.”
The order, signed Monday, advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and giving all childhood immunizations at separate appointments when possible. It also includes several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule already attempted by Trump’s health department but blocked by a federal judge. The department is run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helped lead the anti-vaccine movement for years.
Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even though decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link. He also strongly suggested that the MMR vaccine could be harmful or even deadly.
Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine researcher and former government adviser, said the recommendations by Trump and Kennedy “are just not science based,” and it’s irresponsible to cast doubt on a vaccine that protects against measles when the nation is facing its biggest epidemic in more than 30 years.
“The harm that it will cause is … to induce chaos and confusion into the system, so people aren’t sure what they’re supposed to do,” he said.
At one point before signing his executive order, Trump used the word “lethal” when talking about the current MMR vaccine, saying: “Together there could be a possibility they are quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal but just very effective.”
Doctors strongly rejected this characterization, saying the current combination vaccine has gone through rigorous studies and years of safety tracking — like other childhood vaccines — and has been shown to be very safe. The diseases they protect against are the far bigger risk, they said.
“The suggestion that separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines one from another has value is incorrect in both science and in immune response,” O’Shea said. “You actually get a better immune response giving them together. There’s no value in separating them.”
There are currently no separate vaccines for children against these diseases in the U.S., but Trump's order directs the health department to present a plan to offer them. Trump spokesperson Kush Desai has said that would give parents more options on timing and frequency, ultimately increasing vaccine uptake.
Doctors lamented that Trump revived debunked theories about vaccines and autism. Autism diagnoses have been rising for decades, with a recent count finding that an estimated 1 in 31 children in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder. Scientists say that’s in part because the definition has broadened with expanded understanding of its wide range of traits and symptoms. There’s no single cause, they say, and genetic and environmental factors can play a role.
Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the potential link between childhood vaccines and autism has been studied in dozens of well-designed studies around the globe and there is “unequivocally” no link.
The fact Trump raised the issue, O’Shea said, “is really misguided and unfair to families.”
Trump’s comments and his order also cause confusion about which vaccines to give children and when, doctors said.
In the first year of Trump’s term, Kennedy set out to overhaul immunization guidance, firing a 17-member vaccine advisory committee and installing replacements who made the restrictive recommendations halted by a federal judge. Those recommendations call for injections against 11 diseases, with additional vaccines separately categorized for at-risk children or as available through “shared decision-making” with a doctor.
The pediatrics academy, meanwhile, continued to recommend vaccines to protect against 18 diseases in its 2026 immunization schedule. O’Shea said that schedule “has been very well designed, carefully constructed and thoughtfully put together to provide safety and protection just as the baby or young child’s immune system is ready to accept it.”
Doctors said insurance coverage shouldn’t be an issue. Medicaid and CHIP continue to cover the vaccines recommended before the current Trump administration took office. Through 2027, private health insurance plans generally will too, said Chris Regal of AHIP, the national health insurers’ trade association.
With confusion and fear rising, Racine said pediatricians expect to answer more questions from parents.
But many doctors fear vaccine hesitancy may still keep increasing. Federal data shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have been dropping, with the share of children with exemptions hitting an all-time high in the 2024-25 school year.
Experts said they worry about families skipping necessary vaccines for their children or spacing out shots, since a vaccine-preventable disease could strike between doctor visits.
“Parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance about how to protect their children, not competing recommendations issued through political processes,” said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases. “When families receive conflicting messages, confidence in vaccination suffers, and children ultimately bear the consequences.”
Medical writer Mike Stobbe and video journalist Mary Conlon contributed.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. holds an executive order about vaccines signed by President Donald Trump during a meeting, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump signs an executive order about vaccines as Jayme Franklin, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. watch Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump, left, shakes the hand of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a meeting to sign an executive order about vaccines, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A democratic socialist is trying to rise above the party establishment's chosen candidate who revived his campaign after another leading contender dropped out in Wisconsin's chaotic primary race for governor on Tuesday.
The winner will advance to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November in an open race that could test the limits of progressives' appeal in a critical battleground state.
Democrats are hoping to capitalize on low approval ratings for President Donald Trump in a state he won in 2016 and 2024 to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.
In other races, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 26-year-old son-in-law Michael Alfonso is trying to win a five-way primary in Duffy’s old seat in the U.S. House. And Democrat Rebecca Cooke is looking to emerge from the primary to force a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the state’s most hotly contested and narrowly divided congressional district.
Single mother and former line cook Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has tapped into Democratic anger with the party’s mainstream and Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement.
The 37-year-old known for sprinkling her comments with profanity and leaning into her edgy and sometimes humorous social media profile excited the liberal wing of the party. Hong called for free childcare and healthcare and a moratorium on data center construction. But she also wrestled with her past support for defunding the police, saying at the race’s only debate that she would not support cutting law enforcement funding.
She also drew criticism for past social media posts where she called for canceling Thanksgiving because “we should stop celebrating colonialism" and disparaged Valentine’s Day as “another day capitalism tells you how to show love.”
Hong has since downplayed the posts as her attempt at making jokes.
Hong supporter Dan Jakubek, 44, of Marshall, dismissed concerns over Hong's past statements and said her message of affordability is resonating across generations.
“I've never seen so many young, out of high school, college students revved up for change,” he said.
Establishment Democrats worried that a Hong win would make it easier for Tiffany to win in November, as her platform would be a tougher sell among moderate and independent voters who are critical in the swing state known for razor-thin election margins.
Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, saying he has the best chance of beating Tiffany in November.
Crowley told supporters at a Sunday night rally that they must come together after the primary to beat Tiffany.
“Our ultimate goal is to make sure we don’t have a MAGA extremist occupying the governor’s office,” Crowley said.
Hong said she would welcome Evers' support after the primary.
“We have to come together to beat Tom Tiffany," she said Monday.
Hong voter Kelly McClurg, 40, of Sun Prairie, rejected concerns that Hong can't beat Tiffany.
“She can win if people let her,” she said, referring to Democrats who raise electability concerns.
Crowley voter Susan Uraneck, of Madison, said she wished that Evers had gotten involved sooner.
“I hope for the best,” she said. “As I say, it is what it is.”
Hong is the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020. She is looking to become Wisconsin's first female governor and first Asian American governor. Crowley would be the state's first Black governor.
Evers’ decision not to seek a third term created an open race for governor that initially had seven Democrats file to run.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez appeared to be making a move to consolidate mainstream Democratic support in July, but she dropped out in the middle of the month amid a campaign finance scandal. That led Crowley, who had dropped out a week earlier and endorsed Rodriguez, to get back in the race, this time with Evers' backing.
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who was seen as an early front-runner after nearly beating Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, bowed out less than two weeks before the election amid questions about inappropriate behavior.
Alfonso is looking to become the youngest member of Congress by winning Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, a seat previously held for nine years by his father-in-law before Duffy stepped down in 2019.
He secured Trump’s endorsement, who called him a “MAGA warrior,” to separate him from the field that also includes Kevin Hermening, a Trump supporter and longtime Republican operative in the congressional district.
Trump spoke on a telephone rally for Alfonso on Monday night, calling him “a fantastic young guy who’s going to be a star in Washington.” It was the second event Trump hosted for Alfonso in the primary.
Alfonso’s candidacy drew blowback from some longtime Republican leaders in the district who said he was too young and inexperienced for the job, especially compared to Hermening.
Cooke, a former Democratic fundraiser and small business owner, faces a challenge from former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. Berge ran an underdog, insurgent campaign against Cooke, who was more well-known and better financed.
Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 and also ran in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary that year.
Van Orden is one of Trump’s biggest supporters but will face a tough reelection bid in a narrowly divided district in a year where Trump’s approval ratings are low in Wisconsin.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong makes a heart gesture to supporters after speaking during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Supporters hold signs during a primary election night watch party for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Voters arrive at Charles Allis Art Museum to cast their ballots on primary Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Michael Alfonso, a candidate for U.S. House in Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, speaks during a campaign event, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in New Richmond, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany, left, shakes hands with Bryan Steil, the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district during a campaign event, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Kenosha, WI. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Wisconsin Democratic candidate for Governor Francesca Hong speaks to supporters, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Sun Prairie, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, center, campaigns with Democratic candidate for Governor David Crowley, right, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
