A private GOP briefing held Wednesday revealed internal polling showing that a majority of President Donald Trump’s voters support vaccines, according to two people familiar with the meeting. The findings were shared with staffers for several Republican senators just one day before Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee.
Conducted by veteran Republican pollsters, Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward, the survey found “broad unity across party lines supporting vaccines such as measles (MMR), shingles, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (TDAP), and Hepatitis B”.
Ward confirmed the authenticity of the memo in an email but declined to comment on the meeting itself. It remains unclear who commissioned the poll, and a source close to the White House said the administration had no role in requesting it.
The internal data may help explain the more measured tone some GOP senators adopted during Thursday’s hearing. According to one source, staff for several members of the Finance Committee were present at the Wednesday briefing.
The hearing itself grew contentious at times, with lawmakers from both parties pressing Kennedy on vaccine policy, Covid access, and public health leadership. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a pivotal vote in Kennedy’s confirmation, sharply questioned the secretary’s approach. Cassidy criticized Kennedy for canceling $500 million in mRNA research grants, dismissing the members of a key vaccine advisory panel, and limiting access to updated Covid vaccines.
Cassidy also challenged Kennedy on whether he supported vaccines overall, including former President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed initiative in 2020. “You’re denying people vaccine,” Cassidy said, referencing reports that Americans were struggling to obtain the latest Covid shots.
The revelations from the closed-door poll, combined with the charged exchanges during the hearing, highlight an emerging rift within the GOP between long-standing pro-vaccine sentiment among voters and growing skepticism from some Republican leaders.
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