Trump’s baby boom goal sees few signs of progress

More than one year into the second term of President Trump, who declared he would be the “fertilization president,” experts say becoming a parent hasn’t become easier and the number of people who want children has only continued to go down. 

During the 2024 campaign, Trump latched onto the issue of IVF, particularly after Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (Minn.) claimed to have used the procedure when in fact he had used intrauterine insemination to conceive. 

Trump declared himself the “father of IVF” during a Fox News town hall event and after being elected, he quipped in a Women’s History Month speech, “I’ll be known as the fertilization president.” 

And many of his actions since returning to office have gone toward supporting those aims. 

In October, he signed an executive order directed at lowering the cost of fertility drugs like Gonal-F, one of the first prescription medications offered on his TrumpRx platform, as well as expanding coverage of fertility services for employees in the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury. 

On Mother’s Day this month, Trump announced the launch of moms.gov with resources and information on pregnancy support services, including links to Trump Accounts for children. 

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes systemic change to turn America’s birth rates around,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Hill. “The Trump administration is leaving no stone unturned to address this challenge, from researching long-ignored chronic health issues that affect fertility to pushing policies that will improve childcare, healthcare, and housing affordability.”

All of these actions are being carried out in the name of the administration’s “pro-family” agenda. In the fact sheet for his IVF executive order, Trump........

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