The Fringe Element

The American Deity environment that is Donald Trump, has been integrated with more of the nation’s fringe element than that famous surrey of Oklahoma fame. His will be known as the Administration “with the fringe on top.” Within this assemblage are science deniers, conspiracy theorists, and unqualified operatives who cloud public discourse with speculation and spectacle. In doing so, they have weakened America’s standing in global health and scientific communities, placing lives at risk amid confusion and mistrust.

We are now deep into what supporters frame as a political “second coming,” led by a self-styled champion of grievance and disruption. This coalition of ideologues and opportunists has embraced a wrecking-ball approach to governance—fueling conspiracies while undermining credible research and innovation. The cumulative effect threatens to set back American science and technological leadership by decades.

Science has never claimed perfection. Its strength lies precisely in its willingness to question, test, and revise itself. Historically, Americans have embraced that process. Without scientific innovation, the modern world—from antibiotics and vaccines to semiconductors and the architecture of the internet—would not exist. Discoveries such as penicillin, the polio vaccine, nuclear fission, integrated circuits, and the mapping of DNA have reshaped human life across the globe.

The United States has often led these breakthroughs. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), for example, stands among the world’s premier publicly funded biomedical research institutions, widely recognized for generating economic and societal returns that exceed its public investment. For every dollar spent, it is estimated that the NIH returns $2.50 to the economy. It is the largest government-funded biomedical research agency in the world.

Yet these foundations now face mounting pressure. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has elevated long-held vaccine skepticism into mainstream political debate, prioritizing conjecture over scientific consensus. Meanwhile, Elon Musk in his role as the national Grim Reaper, has been granted extraordinary influence wielding his scythe in reshaping federal priorities. He has done this with sweeping disruptions affecting agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration. Institutions built over decades can be destabilized far more quickly than they can be restored.

Scientific progress is not without risk. The tragedy of thalidomide is a sobering example. Yet it was the vigilance of Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey at the FDA that prevented widespread catastrophe in the United States, despite intense pressure from manufacturers. Her insistence on rigorous evidence spared countless American families from the devastation seen elsewhere. Her story illustrates not the failure of science, but the importance of strong, evidence-based oversight. It is doubful the good doctor would have succeeded in today's environment of distrust and profit above all else,

It is estimated that the COVID-19 vaccine saved 2.5 million people worldwide. It was the FDA-approved mRNA vaccines that made this possible. The mRNA research that was the foundation of these vaccines were a product of NIH scientists working on HIV/AIDS research.

Much of this research ecosystem depends on American universities, several of which—including Harvard University, Columbia University, Penn, Brown, Cornell, Princeton University, and Yale University—have faced political scrutiny and funding threats. Critics argue that such measures aim less at fiscal responsibility than at reshaping academic culture, particularly around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Anything that hints at promoting “inclusion criteria” or advancing the acceptance of gay or transgender causes must be stripped from all areas of higher learning.

Science should indeed be questioned—that is its essence. But those challenges must be grounded in evidence and reason, not partisan agendas. America’s strength has long depended on figures like Jonas Salk, Linus Pauling, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Nikola Tesla—individuals who advanced knowledge through disciplined inquiry and imagination. The nation’s future depends on ensuring that political ideology does not dictate what qualifies as legitimate science. We don’t need politics mandating what is and what isn’t accepted science.

Making America great should not be a march back to the Gilded Age where titans of industry and those with family wealth dictated the fate of the entire nation. We should not allow ourselves to see the advances of science, technology, and medicine be squandered in the name of religious fear and misinformation. The ensuing chaos may be good to divert attention for political gain, but it will never result in even a mediocre America, let alone a great one.