Sen. Mitch McConnell brought up his history as a polio survivor on Thursday in explaining why he voted against making Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who has worked to undermine the use of vaccines—the nation's secretary of Health and Human Services. The reference to his childhood battle with the disease brought a dismissive response from President Trump. "In my lifetime, I've watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world," the longtime Kentucky senator said in a statement, WHAS reports. "I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles."
Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump ripped McConnell for being the only Senate Republican to vote against Kennedy. "He's not equipped mentally," Trump said of the former majority leader. When a reporter pointed out that McConnell's decision apparently was influenced by his experience with polio, Trump said he didn't know anything about that, per the Hill. "I have no idea if he had polio. All I can tell you about him is he shouldn't have been leader, he knows that. He voted against Bobby. He votes against almost everything. He's a very bitter guy," the president said.
McConnell was diagnosed with acute poliomyelitis when he was 2 years old, per the AP. He was treated at the rehabilitation facility in Warm Springs, Georgia, founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. McConnell, 82, still suffers the effects of the disease. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, was among the Republicans who had pushed back against Kennedy's unfounded claims about vaccines. Still, when the Senate confirmation vote was taken Thursday, only McConnell, along with every Democrat, voted no. "Individuals, parents, and families have a right to push for a healthier nation and demand the best possible scientific guidance on preventing and treating illness," McConnell said. "But a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts." (More Mitch McConnell stories.)
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