Trump chooses anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary
The Hindu
Trump nominates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS, sparking controversy over his anti-vaccine stance and health policy plans.
President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site announcing the appointment. Mr. Kennedy, he said, would “Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
Mr. Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Mr. Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration.
He and Mr. Trump have since become good friends, with Mr. Kennedy frequently receiving loud applause at Mr. Trump's rallies.
The expected appointment was first reported by Politico Thursday (November 14, 2024).
A longtime vaccine sceptic, Mr. Kennedy is an attorney who has built a loyal following over several decades of people who admire his lawsuits against major pesticide and pharmaceutical companies. He has pushed for tighter regulations around the ingredients in foods.
With the Mr. Trump campaign, he worked to shore up support among young mothers in particular, with his message of making food healthier in the U.S., promising to model regulations imposed in Europe. In a nod to Mr. Trump’s original campaign slogan, he named the effort “Make America Healthy Again.”
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