Trump makes unexpected remark about Florida ending children's vaccine mandates leaving people shocked

In a blindsiding Oval Office statement, Donald Trump has responded to plans for the eradication of mandatory vaccines for children in Florida.

For those out of the loop with the controversy, the state's surgeon general Joseph Ladapo introduced the plan last week, likening compulsory immunisations to 'slavery'.

"Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," he said during a conference in Tampa on Wednesday (3 Sept). "Who am I as a government or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what to do with your body?"

Ladapo - who previously hit headlines for promoting misinformation on coronavirus - went on to claim: "People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions."

Led by Florida's right-wing leader, Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state previously 'escaped' from needing to impose Covid-19 vaccinations on school children, something Ladapo is hoping to expand to wider inoculations.

Ladapo is fronting the campaign against vaccine mandates (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

For his plan on mandate eradications to be approved, however, it needs to be signed off by Florida Legislature.

As we say, however, the US President has since caught wind of Ladapo's proposition, and has issued a somewhat unexpectedly fair response to the health-related controversy.

Asked his take during a press conference in the Oval Office over the weekend, Donald Trump began by noting the 'very tough position' that Florida lawmakers have been pushed into.

"I think we have to be very careful," the Republican leader began.

"You have some vaccines that are so amazing," he continued, giving special shout-outs to both polio and Covid-19 vaccines, the latter of which was developed during his first term in the White House.

Emphasising the same point, Trump went on to say: "You have some vaccines that are so incredible. I think you have to be very careful when you say some people don’t have to be vaccinated.

"It’s a very tough position. Just initially I heard about it yesterday, and it’s a tough stance."

Reiterating again that 'you have vaccines that work', and adding 'they just pure and simple work', he went on to express some doubt over the outright eradication of mandates for youngsters.

"They’re not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people," Trump went on to say.

"And when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take it."

As we say, spectators of the health debate have since admitted they didn't expect such a rational response from Trump.

"He's actually … right? Is that even possible?" one onlooker questioned on social media.

Another joked: "That was a coherent and meaningful thought. I am not sure how to deal with this."

Several healthcare workers have spoken out against the plan (Getty Stock Image)

"Finally a sane comment," a third added.

Unsurprisingly, however, the politician's comments come just days after a number of doctors and political leaders across Florida and wider America began using their platforms in an attempt to raise awareness of the risks of vaccine mandate removal for children.

Pointing out that youngsters won't be the only ones at risk, Democratic state representative Anna Eskamani hit out on X (formerly Twitter): "Ending vaccine mandates is reckless and dangerous.

"It will drive down immunisation rates & open the door to outbreaks of preventable diseases, putting children, seniors, and vulnerable Floridians at risk. This is a public health disaster in the making for the Sunshine State."

Florida paediatrician, Dr. Lisa Gwynn, also spoke of the risk of outbreaks of very avoidable diseases, telling ABC that those most in danger include 'newborn infants, elderly populations, and people with compromised immune systems, including those undergoing chemotherapy'.

Vaccines are essential for protecting vulnerable members of society (Getty Stock Image)

She went on to say: "When children are in close contact in classrooms, that's a perfect storm for these types of diseases to spread.

"There are other ways parents can achieve choice for their children. As paediatricians, we work together with parents so they can make informed decisions."

Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, described the prospect of Ladapo's plan being put into place 'frightening'.

"As a paediatrician, and as a parent, it’s absolutely frightening, the idea that children could go to school and be unvaccinated," he continued.

"That puts them at risk and others around them who may have underlying medical conditions. That’s not what America’s about. In America, there are things we do to be part of a community."