Dr. Mehmet Oz appeared on the Sunday, Aug. 23 edition of Face the Nation and addressed recent comments from President Donald Trump about the MMR vaccine. Host Margaret Brennan pressed Oz on Trump’s earlier statements during the interview.
Oz serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services after Trump appointed him to the role. The former daytime talk show host and one-time political candidate spoke about the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine amid ongoing discussion of federal health policies.
Earlier this month, Trump made statements about vaccines while signing an executive order. He told reporters at the White House that “together there could be a possibility [the MMR vaccine is] quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective.” However, the admininitration didn’t provide credible evidence to backup its claims.
Oz stresses parental rights during the Face the Nation exchange
Brennan asked Oz if he wanted to clarify Trump’s assertions. Oz responded that “we want patients to get the treatments for that their doctors are recommending to them, but we also want parents to have the autonomy to decide what their kids receive.”
Brennan noted that separating the vaccine into three doses could take a decade because the current version is given in a single administration. Oz then stated that “the MMR vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.”
Oz framed the matter as one of parental rights, a point often raised by the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the agency he leads. He maintained that parents should have a say in what their children receive while still supporting treatments recommended by doctors.
The discussion followed Trump’s executive order on splitting the MMR vaccine. Medical experts have said the MMR vaccine is not lethal in its current form. They have also said research does not support claims that dividing the immunizations brings health benefits for children.
On Aug. 16, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, discussed Trump’s Oval Office statements with CNN’s Jake Tapper. Cassidy described the assertions as “potentially tragic” and “wrong on so many levels.”
The exchange on Face the Nation came as some experts and Republican lawmakers have examined the administration’s health policies ahead of the November midterms. Margaret Brennan had confronted officials over vaccine claims earlier as well. Oz’s comments marked a clear difference from the language Trump used earlier in the month regarding the combined vaccine.
Published: Aug 24, 2026 11:00 am