Kennedy ran as an independent presidential candidate but gave Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the next Trump administration.
Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, announced on Thursday that he is appointing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist, to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy will be in charge of a vast organization that regulates everything from medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid to drug, vaccine, and food safety.
In a statement announcing the appointment on his Truth Social website, Trump stated, “The industrial food complex and drug companies have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health, crushing Americans for far too long.” He said that Kennedy will “Restore America’s Greatness and Health!”
Kennedy, a former Democrat who entered this year’s presidential election as an independent, withdrew his bid after agreeing to back Trump in exchange for a commitment to play a part in the administration’s health policy.
Since then, he and Trump have grown close, and Kennedy regularly gets enthusiastic applause at Trump rallies.
Kennedy has been a longstanding vaccination skeptic and has amassed a devoted clientele over the course of several decades who respect his legal actions against powerful pharmaceutical and pesticide corporations. He has advocated for stricter laws governing food components.
During the Trump campaign, he sought to garner support from young moms in particular by promoting healthier eating in the United States and promised to emulate European laws. He called the initiative “Make America Healthy Again,” a reference to Trump’s initial campaign slogan.
How it will fit in with Trump’s history of deregulating large companies, including the food industry, is still unknown. For instance, Trump advocated for less meat industry inspections.
Even in a Senate controlled by the Republican Party, Kennedy’s views on vaccinations have made him a divisive figure among Democrats and some Republicans, casting doubt on his chances of being confirmed. Kennedy has promoted false information on vaccine safety, including the completely debunked claim that children’s vaccinations cause autism.
Additionally, he has stated that he would advocate for drinking water to be free of fluoride. Improved dental health has been attributed to the material’s inclusion.
HHS employs more than 80,000 people nationwide. The National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Medicare and Medicaid programs are all housed there.
Kennedy’s nonprofit anti-vaccine organization, Children’s Health Defense, is currently suing several news outlets, including The Associated Press, alleging that they violated antitrust laws by acting to expose false information, including regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.
Kennedy is named as one of the group’s lawyers in the case, although he took a leave of absence when he declared his intention to run for president.