U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in an interview published on Thursday said he will be talking to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services, about ending childhood vaccination programs.

When asked if he would sign off if Kennedy decided to end childhood vaccinations programs, Trump told Time magazine, "we're going to have a big discussion. The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible. If you look at things that are happening, there's something causing it."

When asked if the discussion could result in his administration getting rid of some vaccinations, Trump said: "It could if I think it's dangerous, if I think they are not beneficial, but I don't think it's going to be very controversial in the end."

Asked in the Nov. 25 interview if he thinks childhood autism is linked to vaccines, Trump said: "No, I'm going to be listening to Bobby," referring to Kennedy. Trump said he had a lot of respect for Kennedy and his views on vaccinations.

Kennedy, who opposed state and federal COVID-19 restrictions and was accused of spreading misinformation about the virus, has for years sown doubts over the safety and efficacy of vaccines, including asserting a debunked link between vaccines and autism.

Trump has suggested in the past that vaccines might be linked to autism. "I want to see the numbers," he said. "At the end of the studies that we're doing, and we're going all out, we're going to know what's good and what's not good."