Most US consumers say Trump and his proposed health agency aren’t reliable sources of medical information

The news: Most US consumers lack trust in President-elect Trump’s nominated healthcare team as a reliable source of medical information.

But more people do support controversial positions Trump’s nominees have taken on healthcare issues, like banning pharmaceutical ads on TV. These insights come from the latest poll of the Axios/Ipsos American Health Index, which surveyed 1,000 US adults earlier this month.

Digging into the findings: The surveyors note that trust is mediated by partisanship—but overall, the American public doesn’t have a lot of faith in getting information on health topics from Trump or his picks to run federal health agencies.

• 66% either have no trust (50%) or not much trust (16%) in Trump as a source of health information. Just 13% express a great deal of trust in him, though trust levels were far higher among Republicans.
• Of all of Trump’s health agency nominations, consumers have the least amount of trust in Dr. Marty Makary (FDA) and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (NIH). Some 78% said they don’t trust either.
• 73% reported a lack of trust in Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s pick to lead the CDC.
• And 68% said the same about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for HHS.

Yes, but: US consumers do agree with some of the well-publicized stances Trump’s picks have taken on health and medicine.

The public supports RFK’s stance to crack down on ultra-processed foods.

• Around 1 in 8 (12%) consumers think the No.1 public health threat is chemicals or unsafe additives in food.
• About half (49%) say chemicals or unsafe food additives are a large or moderate risk, ranking higher than disease outbreaks or climate change.
• 72% believe that the incoming US government should increase food safety inspections.

They also support RFK’s plans to issue an executive order on his first day in office to ban pharma advertising on TV.

• 59% either strongly or somewhat support a ban on TV drug ads.
• Just 25% strongly or somewhat oppose it.

However, consumers also oppose many positions that Trump and RFK might favor. These include pulling back vaccination requirements, firing researchers and scientists at the FDA and NIH, and removing fluoride from public water supplies.

The final word: While most Americans have mixed sentiments on the positions of Trump’s would-be healthcare team, they lack trust in the leaders themselves.

As the new administration takes shape next year, healthcare and pharma stakeholders must put a premium on delivering credible information to the public so that they can make well-educated decisions. This is especially critical amid a period of eroding trust in the healthcare system and rampantly spreading medical misinformation.

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