Trump vows to create commission to probe chronic illness increase, especially in kids, if reelected

Former President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to create a commission to investigate the rise in chronic illnesses and health issues, especially among children, if he is reelected in 2024.

"We’ve seen a stunning rise in autism, auto-immune disorders, obesity, infertility, serious allergies, and respiratory challenges. It is time to ask: What is going on?" Trump said in a video message as part of his "Agenda47" series.

"Every year, we spend hundreds of billions of dollars to treat these chronic problems rather than looking at what is causing them in the first place. Too often, our public health establishment is too close to Big Pharma ... and does not want to ask the tough questions about what is happening to our children’s health," Trump said. "If Big Pharma defrauds American patients and taxpayers or puts profits above people, they must be investigated and held accountable."

Trump's claims about health issues on the rise are supported by several studies.

In 2000, one in 150 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by the age of 8, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2020, that number rose to one in 36 children.

Meanwhile, studies reviewed by Healthline show that asthma rates have grown by 43% since 1999 and nearly 42 million Americans are diagnosed with the respiratory condition. Allergies, which affect up to 30% of the U.S. population, are also on the rise, researchers also found.

A 2020 article from the National Institutes of Health found that autoimmune disorders "may be rising in the United States."

The CDC found that U.S. obesity rates rose from 30.5% in 2000 to 41.9% in 2020.

The infertility rate over time is more difficult to track, but the U.S. birth rate has declined since 2007, also per CDC data.

"When I am back in the White House, I will establish a special Presidential Commission of independent minds who are not bought and paid for by Big Pharma, and I will charge them with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illnesses," Trump also said. "This is a conversation that is long overdue—and it’s a conversation that American families deserve."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.