IN NEW YORK – Donald Trump said he might get rid of some childhood vaccines when he takes office if he deems them “unsafe” and the U.S. is making a “mistake” in sending weapons to Ukraine.

The president-elect said any shots that ‘are not beneficial’ will be stopped, clearest sign yet that vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. influences its health policy.

Trump said the autism rate is “at a level that no one ever thought possible,” in another echo of Kennedy, whom Trump appointed to a top health cabinet post. He said they would have a “big discussion” about it, but added: “I don’t think it will ultimately be very controversial.” »

The comments came in a in-depth interview with TIME magazine, which awarded Trump its Person of the Year title for the second time on Thursday.

Trump also refused to say whether he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since his election victory and called his campaign “72 days of fury” because he did not take a day off after Kamala Harris entered the race.

Trump’s presentation as person of the year took place at the New York Stock Exchange and the president-elect appeared on stage in front of a dozen members of his cabinet and his wife, Melania Trump.

To the sound of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” a Trump campaign anthem, they stood impassive, as if appearing before a crowd of adoring fans.

It was a landmark moment for New York, the city where Trump made his name before rejecting him for his right-wing politics – in 2019 he moved permanently to Florida – and a Manhattan jury found him guilty in his secret money affair.

Laughing, Trump pointed out that TIME had given him the same award in 2016 when he first became president.

He said: “I think I like it better the second time. »

With a triumphant look on his face, Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange as traders chanted, “USA!” USA!”

Even Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who made it clear she did not want to return to front-line politics in his second administration, stood by him.

The one-hour interview with TIME showed that Trump listened to Kennedy, who he said will lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Regarding the link between autism and vaccines, something Kennedy and other vaccine conspiracists have long claimed without proof, Trump said he wanted to “see the numbers.”

He said: “We’re going to be able to do some very serious testing… and at the end of the studies that we’re doing, and we’re going all in, we’ll know what’s good and what’s not.” “.

The conspiracy theory falsely claiming vaccines are linked to autism arose following an article in The Lancet. It has been since then retracted and the study widely discredited.

In a statement released in February 2010, the British medical journal said it was clear that “several elements” of Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 article “are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation.”

Although it has been debunked many times, it has been picked up by conspiracy theorists, with a the decline in the number of children receiving the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is the cause of measles outbreaks in several countries.

Arming Ukraine is a “mistake” according to Trump

Trump dodged a question about Putin. The two have reportedly had at least seven phone calls since Trump last left office in 2021.

Asked if he had spoken to the Russian president since the election, Trump replied: “I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you. This is simply inappropriate.

But he has been more open about the war in Ukraine and made clear that he wants the United States to be less aggressive toward Russia during his presidency.

He said: “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia.

“Why are we doing this? We are only escalating this war and making it worse… Now they are not only making missiles, but they are making other types of weapons. And I think that’s a very big mistake, a very big mistake.

Trump refused to commit to a two-state solution in the Middle East and simply said peace “can take different forms.”

The president-elect again dodged when asked if he would stop Israel from annexing the West Bank, saying he would “support any solution we can put in place to achieve peace.”

On domestic issues, Trump reiterated that he would use local law enforcement and the National Guard to expel migrants.

“Whatever it takes to get them out.” I don’t care,” Trump said.

He pledged to return control of education policy to individual states and said it would result in a “virtual shutdown” of the Department of Education in Washington.

Trump said he had not read Project 2025, the 800-page brief prepared by the right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation, which critics said was a blueprint for Trump 2.0, because it was too long and “it was not under my orders”. auspices”.

But in a reversal of his campaign, when he disavowed the manifesto, he has now admitted that he “did not disagree with everything” in it.

Various Project 2025 authors are now part of Trump’s transition team, including his White House budget director, Russ Vought.

During the interview, Trump defended Elon Musk, who spent $250m (£196m) helping him get elected and now runs a government efficiency office.

The president-elect said he would not make cuts to NASA’s budget, even though it is a direct competitor to the billionaire’s SpaceX company.

Trump said, “I think Elon puts country way ahead of his business.”