President-elect Donald Trump delivered a rally-style speech to supporters and political activists in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22, closing out Turning Point USA’s four-day “AmericaFest” convention.
During the speech, Trump championed what he called his “all-star cabinet,” highlighting several of his cabinet-level nominees, including his pick to lead the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Independent journalist Aaron Rupar shared an authentic quote and video excerpt from Trump’s speech on the social media platform Threads, spurring another user to reply with a fabricated quote that Trump never uttered.
The user replying to Rupar claimed in his post: “Trump went on to say ‘We’re also looking into cell phones, computer chips, fiber optic internet connections, and air conditioning as these have all been introduced during the time we’ve seen an increase in autism diagnosis. However, as with Covid, if we would just stop testing I am sure the number of autism cases would decline.’”
Trump did not say that during his Sunday speech, nor in any other public statements or addresses. And while Trump did emphasize the rise of autism diagnoses in his speech, and in the past suggested that “there’s something causing it,” he did not mention any specific electronic devices or components nor mentioned autism testing as being related to the problem.
On the subject of autism, Trump said at the Phoenix event:
I decided, look, something’s going on here. When you look at, like, autism from 25 years ago, and you look at it now, something’s going on and I nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [for health and human services secretary]. Think of it, think of this: 25 years ago, autism—one in 10,000 children. Today, it’s one in 36 children. Is something wrong? I think so. And Robert and I and all of—we’re going to figure it out. But did you ever hear numbers like this—something’s wrong, something’s wrong. Likewise, there’s been a 25 percent increase in childhood cancer, and a staggering increase in chronic diseases, so together we’re going to, uh, make America healthy again.
Following those remarks, Trump switched gears and promoted his nominee for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi. The president-elect did not comment on autism in the remainder of his address.
Trump also discussed the disorder earlier this month in an interview with Time magazine. When asked if he would approve ending “childhood vaccination programs” if pushed by Kennedy, who has questioned the safety of some vaccines and how they are tested, Trump replied, “We’re going to have a big discussion. The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible.” He added, “If you look at things that are happening, there’s something causing it.”
In the same interview, Trump did mention conducting research to determine whether there is a connection between vaccines and autism. He didn’t suggest that autism diagnoses would decrease by limiting testing for the disorder. “I want to see the numbers,” Trump said when asked if he agrees with Kennedy’s position that vaccines can lead to autism cases. “It’s going to be the numbers. We will be able to do—I think you’re going to feel very good about it at the end. We’re going to be able to do very serious testing, and we’ll see the numbers. A lot of people think a lot of different things.” He added, “We will know for sure what’s good and what’s not good.”
The Dispatch Fact Check has reached out to incoming Trump White House communications director Steven Cheung for comment about the fabricated quote.
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