Reviewing Trump’s relationship with science

David Kramer’s powerful report “The undermining of science is Trump’s legacy ” (Physics Today, March 2021, page 24) elicited responses like Wallace Manheimer’s letter in the June 2021 issue (page 10). Manheimer complains that Kramer’s story was too political, but then he launches into a highly politicized and inaccurate portrayal of Donald Trump’s legacy.

The letter touts a rise in R&D funding that occurred during Trump’s presidency. But that increase was the result of repeated congressional actions to reject draconian cuts that the Trump administration attempted to impose on critical R&D funding. Recall the outrageous efforts by Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price (before he was forced to resign because of corruption) to reduce the National Institutes of Health budget by almost $6 billion through cutting funding for universities’ and research institutions’ overhead expenses.

With regard to the vaccine achievement that Manheimer says Trump “spearheaded,” the former president’s lasting legacy is unfortunately his politicization of the vaccine development process in an effort to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. While heroic scientists across the US and the world were working around the clock to achieve extraordinary results with COVID-19 vaccines, Trump was busy mocking the wearing of masks, promising without any basis that the virus would disappear, and pitching ineffective and dangerous therapeutics.