science
Trump Administration Promotes Gold Standard Science; Scientists Criticize
The Trump administration has promoted 'gold standard science' through an executive order and agency reports. The policy aims to ensure research integrity but has drawn criticism for potentially allowing political influence. Examples include changes to vaccine advisory committees and delays in releasing vaccine studies.
Apr 14, 6:00 AM·3m read1 source
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The Trump administration announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his pick for Health and Human Services secretary. In May 2025, Trump signed the “Restoring Gold Standard Science” executive order.
Administration officials referenced the phrase in public remarks, publications, and social media posts. The nine-point definition includes principles such as reproducibility, transparency, acknowledgment of errors and uncertainties, collaboration, skepticism, falsifiable hypotheses, impartial peer review, acceptance of negative results, and freedom from conflicts of interest.
The executive order rolled back scientific integrity policies from the prior administration.
It described a decline in public trust in science that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
stated that the phrase “gold standard science” has been used to prioritize preferred outcomes over evidence.
An analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the policy undercuts values and standards previously prioritized in federal agencies. The analyst noted that the order makes it harder to pursue and publish findings without political interference.
A White House spokesperson stated that the administration is ensuring political agendas do not corrupt policymaking, which should be guided only by gold standard science.
The spokesperson described some scientists' concerns as arising only after the pandemic, calling them delusional or partisan. The term “gold standard science” has been used in scientific contexts for at least half a century to describe high-quality research methods.
Daniel Jernigan resigned as director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases in August 2025. He cited concerns that new leadership was not taking an evidence-based approach. Jernigan referenced changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the CDC on vaccinations.
