In the wake of dismal polling numbers among women, President Donald Trump is throwing a Hail Mary ahead of the November midterm elections. Too bad it’s all talk.
On Oct. 19, the president signed an executive order creating a new Women’s Health Division within the National Institutes of Health, as well as a task force within the White House dedicated to women’s health.
The task force will be headed by Health and Human Services Secretary (and noted anti-vaxxer) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“Beginning today, we will change the reality of women’s health,” first lady Melania Trump said during public remarks at the announcement. “Previous generations fought for women’s rights. Our generation will fight to discover
the cures that will ensure a woman can live her life in health and to the fullest.”
That would be a great sentiment if the executive order was paired with congressional funding, if the initiative was the first of its kind, or if Trump wasn’t the architect of the destruction of women’s health care in the United States.
Instead, it’s clear he’s only doing this as a last-ditch effort to distract from the fact that polling says he has the support of just one-third of women in the United States. We know better.
The glaring issue with Trump's women's health initiative
The idea of a task force and women’s health division within NIH is not bad. Women’s health research makes up just 6% of private health care investment, according to the World Economic Forum, and less than 10% of NIH funding goes toward women’s health research.
But Trump is not the first president to recognize this need, despite his savior complex about it.
President George H.W. Bush created the Office of Research on Women’s Health within NIH. That office still exists and must now work together with the Trump initiative.
President Joe Biden instructed public health researchers across the federal government to prioritize advancements in women’s health and worked to secure $12 billion from Congress for further research on women’s health.
In his executive order, Trump repealed the Biden initiative.
Another issue with Trump’s initiative is that it has no monetary tie-in. The president did not vow to pressure Congress to approve more funding for women’s health research. There are no specific funding goals at all. He simply wants to give the appearance that he’s doing something for women without changing the circumstances.
What is Trump actually doing to 'change the reality' for women?
Trump is trying to distract from the fact that he has done nothing good for women since he was inaugurated for a second presidential term in January 2025. In fact, his administration and the Republicans running Congress have actively pursued legislation that has restricted American women’s access to health care.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025 defunded Planned Parenthood and cut Medicaid coverage for millions of women in the United States. Now, women are struggling to get access to contraception through public health insurance, a necessary part of their health care.
That does not support women’s health.
Trump is also directly responsible for the fact that 1 in 3 women are unable to access abortion care in their state. By appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices during his first term, he was responsible for the fall of Roe v. Wade.
That is not advocating for women’s health.
Now, he’s trying to say that he cares about women while failing to fund the initiative he made a big hoopla about, while ignoring the fact that these initiatives already existed in the first place. That doesn't advocate for women’s health.
For Trump to suddenly say he supports women’s health is laughable, and we can see through it. He’s only doing this because he knows that the November midterms are going to be horrific for the Republican Party. His final appeal to women doesn’t change the fact that he has repeatedly harmed them. Come November, many women should remind him of that.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's health care Hail Mary won't fool anyone | Opinion
