Dr. Zachary Rubin discusses public health under Trump
Discussion on pandemic prevention, vaccine policy, and public health communication under Trump
In this interview, Dr. Zachary Rubin laid out just how dangerously unserious the RFK Jr.–run Health and Human Services Department has become. We’re not just talking about vague vibes or rhetoric here—we’re seeing vaccine clinics shut down due to defunding, expert committees on immunization replaced with RFK’s hand-picked anti-vaxxers, and growing barriers to access for everyday people. Rubin explains that even if vaccines technically remain "available," if they’re no longer recommended by federal panels, insurance companies may stop covering them. That hits low-income communities the hardest—and surprise, that’s exactly where we’re seeing measles and pertussis come roaring back.
We also touched on the broader cultural shift around public health post-COVID, and Rubin didn’t sugarcoat it: if we’re hit with another major outbreak—one with higher mortality or faster spread—we’re in real trouble. The politicization of basic public health measures has left large swaths of the country so distrustful, they’re unlikely to cooperate even if their lives depend on it. And it’s not just about personal choice—it's about eroding the entire foundation of collective response. Rubin warns that with bad actors now running public health agencies and replacing qualified scientists with influencers, we’re undermining the very expertise we’d rely on in a future crisis.
Finally, we zoomed out to talk about RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which, like everything else in this administration, is more branding than policy. Rubin agrees that processed food and sugar-laden diets are a real issue—but says obsessing over food dyes and pushing beef tallow as some kind of health miracle completely misses the point. The real problems? Air pollution, rising pollen counts, lack of access to care, toxic stress, environmental rollbacks—none of which this administration is addressing in any meaningful way. So yeah, you can take the food dyes out of breakfast cereal, but if you’re ignoring the structural issues actually driving poor health outcomes, you're not making America healthy again. You're just selling a hashtag.
Dr. Zachary Rubin’s new book, All About Allergies, is a must-read guide to understanding asthma, food allergies, hay fever, and more.
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