Donald Trump backs mRNA vaccine project backlash

A number of Donald Trump supporters and vaccine skeptics have criticized the president after he talked about a multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence infrastructure project that, it was suggested, could help develop cancer vaccines.

Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email outside regular business hours.

Why it matters

When it comes to vaccines, Trump has proven to be between a rock and a hard place. He has faced frequent backlash from his own supporters for expressing support for the COVID-19 vaccine, particularly when he praised the Operation Warp Speed ​​initiative he launched during the pandemic, which sped up vaccine development. And yet he recently nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a vaccine skeptic, to lead the government’s health agencies.

What to know

Trump announced a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, which will be called Stargate, during a press conference on Tuesday. The project, which could cost up to $500 billion, was described by Trump as the “largest AI infrastructure project in history.”

The president said the project will result in “over 100,000 American jobs almost immediately.”

Stargate will begin building data centers and the power generation needed for AI development in Texas, according to the White House.

Oracle chairman Larry Ellison highlighted the potential medical benefits of the investment, stating that AI could be used to detect cancers and tailor mRNA vaccines to treat them within 48 hours.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also praised the initiative, calling it “the most important project of this era” and saying the companies “wouldn’t be able to do this” without Trump’s help.

The AI ​​project has faced backlash from some Trump supporters and vaccine skeptics on social media.

In December 2021, Trump was booed by part of the crowd after revealing he had received a COVID-19 booster shot while on stage at a speaking event with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly.

An mRNA vaccine uses a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct cells in the body to produce a protein. This reaction helps the immune system recognize the protein as a foreign body and begin producing antibodies to attack it and protect against future exposures. Some have been skeptical of mRNA vaccines used for COVID-19 over false and misleading claims that they alter DNA or cause infertility.

What people say

Trump supporter @sovereignbrah wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Donald Trump will lose his base if he supports more mRNA vaccines. Mark my words.”

Chiropractor Ben Tapper, a vaccine skeptic, issued the X: “Get me off the planet. Second day in office and he’s pushing a cancer vaccine? Are you kidding me? Make no mistake. This will cause more harm than good. Health doesn’t come from a needle.”

Pro-Trump X Account JD Ebberly wrote that X: “No one will ever be able to convince me to take any kind of mRNA injection. I’d rather die the black death than take an mRNA shot. Trump is pushing mRNA vaccines. Well, I suppose that there will NOT be a golden age . The Dems aren’t the only people lying to us.”

Right-wing political commentator Evan Kilgore wrote on X: “The ‘mRNA cancer vaccines’ discussed at Donald Trump’s first press conference tonight were a HUGE turn-off for many on the right. The Trump administration needs to learn that his base pretty much DESPISES him for Operation Warp Speed ​​and how heavily experimental vaccines were. pushed.”

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison said during Tuesday’s press conference: “Using AI, you can do early cancer detection with a blood test, and using AI to look at the blood test, you can find the cancers that actually seriously threaten the person. Once we re-sequence that cancer, you can design a vaccine for each single person to vaccinate them against that cancer. And you can make that vaccine, that mRNA vaccine, again using AI, in about 48 hours.

“So imagine early cancer detection, the development of a cancer vaccine for your particular cancer targeted at you, and having that vaccine available in 48 hours. This is the promise of AI and the promise of the future.”

President Donald Trump said at Tuesday’s press conference: “This monumental undertaking is a resounding statement of confidence in America’s potential.”

What happens next

The Stargate project will launch with an initial investment of $100 billion, with plans to expand to $500 billion over the next four years.

The first data center under the initiative will be built in Texas, with further expansions planned for other states.