President Donald Trump has set the nation on a bold new course, unveiling a pair of sweeping directives that reach from the doctor’s office to the world stage. In a single week, the Trump administration announced a comprehensive review of America’s childhood vaccination schedule and released a national security strategy that redefines U.S. alliances and global priorities, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation and NPR.
On December 6, 2025, President Trump directed top health officials to systematically re-examine the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule, comparing it with those followed by other high-income countries. The move comes as the U.S. continues to recommend a higher number of childhood vaccines than many of its peers—18 diseases in total, including COVID-19. By contrast, Denmark recommends vaccinations for 10 diseases, Japan for 14, and Germany for 15. “Study is warranted to ensure that Americans are receiving the best, scientifically-supported medical advice in the world,” the presidential memorandum states, as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Trump’s directive instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—himself a longtime critic of the U.S. vaccination schedule—and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to adopt best practices from abroad if they are deemed more medically sound. This marks a significant shift in federal health policy, particularly after the Trump administration ended its blanket recommendation for annual COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all children, a sharp departure from previous guidance.
Recent months have seen heightened scrutiny of COVID-19 vaccines for children. In May, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Chief Medical Officer Vinay Prasad announced that no new COVID booster shots would be approved for children and healthy non-elderly adults without clinical trials demonstrating tangible benefit. The scrutiny intensified in early December, when a review by career staff at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research traced the deaths of 10 children to the COVID vaccine. These findings prompted immediate regulatory changes and a call for “introspection,” Prasad told his staff, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The CDC also recently convened a two-day meeting of its vaccine advisory committee, which resulted in changes to U.S. Hepatitis B vaccination policy. The new policy brings the U.S. in line with 24 peer nations, signaling a move toward greater international harmonization. During the meeting, FDA Acting Director Tracy Beth Høeg presented evidence highlighting the discordance between the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule and those of other developed countries. “Why are we so different from other developed nations, and is it ethically and scientifically justified?” Høeg asked. “We owe our children science-based recommendations here in the United States.”
While the health policy shift is likely to ignite debate among parents, doctors, and public health experts, it is also emblematic of a broader philosophy running through the Trump administration: a willingness to challenge established norms, both at home and abroad.
Just a day before the vaccination announcement, on December 5, the Trump administration released a new national security strategy that signals a dramatic turn in U.S. foreign policy. The document, as reported by NPR, paints European allies as weak and unreliable, citing their immigration policies, declining birthrates, censorship of free speech, and a "loss of national identities." The strategy warns that, should current trends persist, “the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less.” It goes so far as to predict that some European countries may soon lack the economic and military strength to remain reliable U.S. allies.
The administration’s critique doesn’t stop there. The document also encourages support for far-right political parties in Europe that oppose illegal immigration and climate policies, describing their rise as a “revival of spirit” and a reason for optimism. This nod to Europe’s surging right-wing movements is sure to stir controversy among America’s traditional allies.
Reactions from European leaders were swift and pointed. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul acknowledged that the U.S. is “our most important ally” in NATO but pushed back against the American critique, stating, “We also don’t think that anyone needs to give us any advice on this.” Markus Frohnmaier, a lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party, described the strategy as “a foreign policy reality check for Europe and particularly for Germany.”
The new national security strategy also marks a return to “America First” principles. It calls for a reassertion of U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, outlining what the administration terms a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. This approach includes a campaign of military strikes on drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, as well as the consideration of military action in Venezuela to pressure President Nicolás Maduro. The document states that targeted deployments may be used to secure the border and defeat cartels, “including where necessary the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy of the last several decades.”
The administration’s foreign policy ambitions do not end with the Americas. The strategy also calls for a “rebalance” of the U.S. relationship with China, seeking to maintain America’s military advantage to prevent war over Taiwan. While the U.S. remains committed to supporting Taiwan, the document urges allies in the region to contribute more to their own defense. “The American military cannot, and should not have to, do this alone,” the strategy asserts. “Our allies must step up and spend — and more importantly do — much more for collective defense.”
In the Middle East, the Trump administration is shifting away from intervention and the promotion of American-style democracy. The strategy document describes previous U.S. efforts to “hector” Middle Eastern nations about their traditions and forms of government as misguided. Instead, it calls for encouraging reform only when it emerges organically and highlights opportunities for economic partnership and investment with Arab nations. President Trump’s first major foreign trip this year was to the Middle East, with efforts to settle the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza taking center stage. However, the administration now signals a reduced focus on the region, citing America’s declining dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
The reaction at home has been deeply polarized. Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who sits on House committees overseeing intelligence and the armed forces, called the new security strategy “catastrophic to America’s standing in the world and a retreat from our alliances and partnerships.” Crow warned, “The world will be a more dangerous place and Americans will be less safe if this plan moves forward.”
Both the health policy review and the new national security strategy reflect President Trump’s willingness to question longstanding assumptions and upend established policy. Whether these changes will bring greater safety and prosperity, or usher in a period of uncertainty and discord, remains to be seen. What is clear is that, as of December 2025, the U.S. is charting a new and distinctly American path at home and abroad.
