Trump against research – science in the USA: on behalf of transparency

The Trump government has not yet emerged as a friend of science. Science in the USA has been thrown back since Donald Trump took office by massive cuts, for example in climate and health research or when using certain prohibited terms such as “gender”. The health minister Robert Kennedy Jr., also known as the opponent of vaccination, has no problem referring to studies that have long since been refuted for an alleged connection between autism and vaccinations. Incorrect and not findable, part of the scientific sources of a recently published report of the White House on the health of children entitled “Make Our Children Healthy Again”, as the online magazine Notus reported. The white house played down the defects as formatting and citation errors.

A decree entitled “Restoring Gold Standard Science” from May 23. In it, the president relies on problems that are also discussed within science business. This includes the “reproducibility crisis” and counterfeits of data. A science corresponding to the gold standard must provide reproducible results and be transparent, communicate mistakes and uncertainties and be free from conflicts of interest. Requirements that also come from the Open Science movement-which occurs for publicly accessible, transparent science-such as a group of renowned researchers, including medical Nobel Prize winners Victor Ambros and climate researcher Michael Mann, in the »Guardian« demonstrate. »We should all be able to appreciate the investment of an administration in improving openness, integrity and reproducibility of research. But with this decree we can’t do that, «said the author.

Because, as in one signed by more than 6,300 scientists open letter Loarded, the science system should now be put under the control of political representatives by decree. The decree is a continuation of the already ongoing attack on science, according to the letter. Scientific terms would be “hijacked” and twisted ideas.

The authors of the open letter also make it clear who swings up in the White House of speaking of a gold standard of science. “The order comes from a government that has already deleted the financing for research areas that it does not agree to, which, despite widespread evidence, spread misinformation about vaccines that lied about the effects of climate change and which has incorrectly defined in their own decree gender, although biology does not prove that it is not.”

The renowned science publications “Nature” and “Science” also deal with the decree from the White House and its possible consequences. During Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, scientists had reported political influence on their work. This affected in particular employees of the environmental authority EPA. Trump’s successor Joe Biden had then taken measures to strengthen the independence of researchers at EPA and other authorities, according to a “nature” article. In his most recent decree on the “gold standard”, Trump now instructs the authorities to reverse these measures ordered by biden.

The fear of guards used by politics through science business is accompanied by the fact that vague formulations open the door for arbitrary punishment for scientists. Because the demand to “communicate and document uncertainties transparently and to document”, leaves great room for interpretation.

In his decree, Trump complains of a credibility crisis of science to which the policy of the previous government has contributed. Loud »Nature« However, 76 percent of the population stated in surveys to trust science. Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy attacks renowned medical magazines. “We will probably stop publishing in” The Lancet “,” New England Journal of Medicine “,” Jama “and other specialist journals because they are all corrupt” quoted The “Ärzteblatt” the politician from a podcast.