‘Kind of shocked’ Tapper confronts Florida’s surgeon general on plan to end vaccine mandates with no ‘data projection’

Florida’s vaccine mandate decision left CNN’s Jake Tapper “shocked” as the state’s surgeon general defied the medical establishment with a simple “right and wrong” analysis.

While even in red states, parents were left to contend with a twisted bureaucracy that saw heavy-handed recommendations treated as justification to impose mandates regarding the healthcare of children, the Sunshine State had once again taken a bold step as the Freedom State, with a plan to phase out all vaccine mandates.

Sunday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo stood firm against an inquisition from Tapper that presented the plan as anti-science and a threat to the most vulnerable members of society, with points echoing rhetoric often heard during debates about COVID.

“I’m looking at this report from your department from April showing that more people in Florida are seeking religious exemptions for vaccines and at the same time, Florida is seeing rising cases of hepatitis A, and whooping cough and chicken pox,” said the host after beginning the interview with a clip of President Donald Trump’s voiced favor for certain vaccines. “This is in your own report, your own department’s report. Before you made this decision to try to lift vaccine mandates for Florida — which include, obviously, public schools — did your department do any data analysis? Did you do any data projection of how many new cases of these diseases there will be in Florida once you remove vaccine mandates?”

“Absolutely not,” said the Harvard Medical School graduate who rejected the host’s premise and explained that mandates “don’t have anything to do with the notion of transmission.”

“Ultimately, this is an issue, very clearly, of parents’ rights. So, do I need to analyze whether it’s appropriate for parents to be able to decide what goes into the children’s bodies? I don’t need to do an analysis on that,” asserted Ladapo.

“Absolutely not.” @FLSurgeonGen admits he didn’t study impact before calling to lift vaccine mandate pic.twitter.com/bJCo0aNvk0

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) September 7, 2025

The familiar notes of fearmongering rang out once more as Tapper continued to press, “You’re trying to lift the vaccine mandate in Florida, and your department and you did not even do a projection as to how this could impact public health. So you have not prepared hospitals in the Florida counties most at risk with the best treatments for any outbreaks of measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, polio — and you have not looked into how many kids might now get these preventable diseases? That’s what you’re saying?”

“No, that’s what you said,” replied the doctor, once more rejecting the premise of the host’s argument. “What I’m saying is that it’s an issue of right and wrong in terms of whether parents should be able to control, have ultimate authority over what happens to their kids’ bodies.”

After Tapper rattled off how the medical establishment favored the mandates, the surgeon general explained, “My history, if you will, is I share what I believe is the right thing to do, whether it’s popular or not.”

“I’ve been doing it for years. You know, I certainly did it during the COVID-19 pandemic. I thought that the lockdowns would be harmful. I said that as early as March 2020, after taking care of patients at UCLA hospital — some of whom had COVID. You know, we as a state and I as an individual recommended against the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for children, healthy children, very early, two years ago or so. And that was the correct decision there,” he went on. “… we’ve been right over and over again, because what we’ve said has been based on data and common sense.”

“I have to say just, I’m very … I’m kind of shocked that you have not done any sort of projection or data analysis of what this is actually gonna literally mean for kids in Florida,” expressed Tapper as he shifted gears and challenged, “What is your message to the parents of immunocompromised kids who are relying on most kids being vaccinated so their kids are safe? You talk about liberty and freedom for parents, but it seems like you’re removing liberty and freedom for the parents of kids who are immunocompromised.”

“It’s an interesting way to conceive that, to sort of describe that. But I don’t think that’s the dynamic at all,” responded Ladapo who expressed sympathies for those dealing with chronic illnesses before stating, “[Parents] are the ultimate arbiters of what happens with their children. That’s how it should be. And that’s why my position will never change, because that will always be true. It will always be true that parents should be able to decide … what goes into their kids’ bodies. I mean, it’s not complex at all.”

Despite the pushback, Ladapo found considerable support online as social media users contended Florida’s policy should be adopted across the nation.

This is how it should be nationwide, thank you for standing up

— Dangerous Thoughts (@DangerousThinkg) September 7, 2025

Thank you, Dr. Ladapo, for mentioning the solid, consent logic regarding consent versus coercion. For the two cannot coexist as many politicians and journalists promulgate.

— DC Quillan Stone (@DCQuillanStone) September 8, 2025

Thank you very much. We must not be forced to choose between medical freedom and children’s education.

— Grass (@DewyGrassBlades) September 7, 2025

This is the way! Thank you, Sir, for showing other State Surgeon Generals how it is done! I’m praying TX will follow FL’s lead.

— Leigh Attaway Wilcox (@leighawilcox) September 7, 2025

Correct
Florida is now the leader in medical freedom!

— Omicron Prime (@Crispytongue) September 8, 2025

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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