While mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine have specifically become increasingly political in the post-pandemic age thanks to the ‘natural immunity’ zealots, more generalized school vaccine mandates have actually existed without controversy *for decades.* In fact, such mandates are a cornerstone of public health in schools, where viruses already spread like wildfire among young kids.

And, while Trump’s stated plan here is bad enough on its own, there will likely be another unintended consequence of this move. Private schools, which typically don’t receive taxpayer funding at nearly the same scale as public schools, will likely continue keeping their vaccine mandates in place. This would further exacerbate the divide between public and private education, once again making something as simple as ‘freedom from life altering illnesses’ a divide between the haves and have nots.

The move comes as Trump makes a new round of right-wing appeals to his base in the wake of polling that shows a tightening race between him and VP Kamala Harris. As Harris’ coalition rallies behind her, Trump is clearly growing more desperate by the day. Rumors of buyer’s remorse with his J.D. Vance VP pick and headlines about Harris’ record breaking fundraising means Trump’s going back to the classics — and not in a good way.