Trump nominates RFK Jr., an anti-vaccine activist, for health and human services secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who withdrew from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Trump, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“I am pleased to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” he wrote. “For too long, Americans have been overwhelmed by industrial food and drug companies who have perpetrated fraud, misinformation and misinformation when it comes to Public Health.”

Donald Trump Jr. He also shared the news with X.

In a post on X, Kennedy said, “We have an opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry and government to end the epidemic of chronic disease.”

During his presidential campaign, Kennedy created a national scene for his criticism of Covid vaccines and childhood vaccinations. He said vaccines are linked to autism, despite decades of scientific evidence that refutes such a claim.

The appointment of Kennedy, 70, to lead HHS is days away from estimates about the role – if any – of the former president’s independent adviser, who is also a Trump adviser, was will play in the next system.

Within HHS is a family of health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Kennedy said Trump “promised” him “control of public health agencies.”

In addition to the HHS role, Kennedy was said to be involved in the fight against childhood obesity and diabetes – known as “Operation Warp Speed” for chronic childhood diseases. ” – and Kennedy himself shot down the idea of ​​being a White House “health czar.” .” Those jobs would not have given him the power or influence that the HHS title would have given him if he had been confirmed.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, is known for his misleading and false claims about vaccines, including repeated claims that vaccines are linked to autism, despite decades of research across several countries canceled the union. He also founded Children’s Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccination group.

Other people said to be considering the role are Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and former Trump housing and urban development secretary, and former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who once headed the government’s Department of Health and Hospitals.

The position requires Senate confirmation.

In a statement following Trump’s announcement, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician who is the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said, “RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy eating and the need for transparency in our public health systems.”

He continued, “I look forward to learning more about some of his policy positions and how he will support a sustainable, pro-America agenda.”

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement, “Trump’s health plan is no secret: bad health care at high costs for American families.” He said “Kennedy’s outlandish views on basic scientific truths are troubling and should be troubling to all parents who expect schools and other public spaces to be safe for their children.”

If Kennedy is confirmed, his role could mean a major shake-up at federal health agencies, including the FDA, where he has threatened to eliminate all departments and fire department employees who are fighting a “war of public health.”

Former director of the CDC, Dr. Richard Besser, was surprised by the announcement.

“I can’t talk,” Besser said. “Having someone head the Department of Health and Human Services who has been one of the biggest producers of misinformation about vaccines, which is one of the biggest sources of misinformation about vaccines. and public health as a whole, it can affect the health of people across the country.”

NBC News reported Thursday that some FDA officials are considering an early exit if Kennedy is nominated for the top health role.

Kennedy also advocated banning fluoride from drinking water, as well as removing processed foods from the US diet.

In the first administration, Trump tapped former drug administrator Alex Azar for the top role at the health department. Azar replaced Trump’s first health secretary, Tom Price, who resigned over his use of private jets for government business, costing US taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. thousands of dollars.

CNBC reports that shares of vaccine manufacturers fell on Thursday on reports that Kennedy may lead the top health department in the United States.