Public Health Trust Eroded, Bhattacharya Says in CBS Face-Off

In a tense CBS Face the Nation interview, NIH acting head Jay Bhattacharya argued that public trust in health officials has declined, blaming misinformation and government messaging from the COVID-19 era—including mask mandates—for the erosion; host Margaret Brennan pressed him on the role of Biden-era policies and vaccine debates, while Bhattacharya defended vaccines and school reopenings as essential, calling for broader accountability beyond any single administration.