The Trump administration, where fake news and conspiracy theories form part of the power structure, has launched a substantial and wide-ranging assault on public health. In early 2025, it withdrew funding overnight for programmes giving people free access to contraception and antiretroviral HIV drugs in the Global South (1). And a number of US research databases and programmes have been cut due to their focus on topics that the administration derides as "woke", such as women's health, diversity and inclusion (2).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been substantially weakened under the leadership of "anti-vax" health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. These two previously world-leading institutions have been lowered to disseminating false information, for example about the existence of a link between paracetamol or vaccination and autism spectrum disorder (3-5).

The global reach of the US's health and public research institutions means that undermining these institutions will have a damaging impact around the world (6). But equally troubling is the way in which weakening them is encouraging imitators to take similar action outside the US.

In Europe, for example, "anti-vaxxers" and far-right politicians have launched a movement heavily inspired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again initiative (7). And the European Union's health commissioner, Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi, has made the disturbing claim that "unnecessary clinical trials" and excess bureaucracy are "not sending the right message" to the pharmaceutical industry (8).

In France, the recent debates over the business simplification bill led politicians to put forward amendments to scrap several of the country's health agencies, on the grounds of their overlapping remits. In a move revealing their ignorance of these agencies' important roles, elected representatives proposed abolishing the High Council for Public Health, the High Council for the Future of Health Insurance, the public health agency Santé Publique France (which is set to be broken up in 2026), the Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety and the National Authority for Health (9,10).

In Europe and around the world, there is a danger that the "US model" will inspire disastrous deregulation policies in the name of cutting public spending, reducing "red tape", improving competitiveness, stimulating innovation and freeing up the economy. And that the quality of care and the safety of the public will suffer
as a result.

References 
1- "Stand strong together" Prescrire Int 2025 ; 34 (276): 283.
2- Sidre C "Note - Pubmed sous l'administration Trump" version 1, BIU Santé Médecine. Université Paris Cité 2 April 2025: 4 pages. 
3- "FDA responds to evidence of possible association between autism and acetaminophen use during pregnancy" 2 September 2025: 2 pages. 
4- "Antalgiques non spécifiques pendant la grossesse et développement neuropsychique: peu de données probantes" Rev Prescrire 2017; 37 (410): 915-917. 
5- Taylor L "CDC website altered to suggest possible link between vaccines and autism" BMJ 2025; 391:r2470: 2 pages. 
6- Mahase E "US vaccine misinformation is having ‘frightening' ripple effect in Europe, leaders warn" BMJ 2025; 391:r2167: 2 pages. 
7- Cullinan K "'Make Europe Healthy Again' launch is dominated by anti-vaxxers and far right politicians" 22 October 2025. healthpolicy-watch.news accessed 29 October 2025: 4 pages. 
8- Bowie K "UK considers drug price changes as European leaders warn ‘unnecessary clinical trials' are sending wrong message to big pharma" BMJ 2025; 391:r2132: 1 page. 
9- Juanole L "Hcaam, ANDPC…: à coups de serpe, les députés taillent dans les agences santé avec la loi ‘simplification'" Le Quotidien du médecin 25 March 2025: 3 pages. 
10- APMnews "Stéphanie Rist confirme la volonté de recentrer Santé publique France ‘sur son cœur de métier'" 28 April 2026.

 ©Prescrire 1 June 2026

Source: "Public health under attack, in the US and beyond" Prescrire Int 2026; 35 (282): 143. FREE.