OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has announced his intention to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“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,” Trump wrote on Thursday.
“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” the president-elect continued.
“Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). 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…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2024
According to a source familiar with the decision who spoke to Politico, Trump’s appointment is expected to upset many public health experts. Trump promised Kennedy he would have full autonomy over health and food policy in his administration after Kennedy ended his presidential campaign and endorsed the now-president-elect.
Trump assured Kennedy that he could “go wild” with health and food policy once he withdrew from the race to support the incoming president.
Earlier this week, RFK Jr. had a somewhat testy interview with an NBC correspondent regarding some of his ideas about policy and children’s health, with one particularly tense moment involving the subject of removing fluoride from drinking water.
In his interview with Vaughn Hillyard, Kennedy asserted that fluoride was lowering children’s IQs.
“You also talked about fluoride in the U.S. water supply. You would see to ban fluoride in the U.S. water supply?” Hillyard asked.
“I would advise the water districts that are currently using it that there is a lot of new science out there. In fact, there’s a federal judge decision by an Obama-appointed judge on October 4th of this year in which he sent the EPA back to the drawing board and said, you’ve never done the safety studies on it, by the way…” RFK Jr. said before Hillyard interrupted.
HILLYARD: And so what does that look like without debating, without going back and forth on the science.
KENNEDY: It’s lowering IQ in our children.
HILLYARD: What would you — on January 2025 we’re 3 months away here, what would you actually do?
KENNEDY: I think fluoride is on it’s way out —
HILLYARD: And how would you make that happen? This is your chance is what you’re suggesting to me. How would you make that happen?
KENNEDY: Listen to what I’m saying! And then I’ll tell you. I think fluoride is on the way out because that court decision, I think the faster that it goes out, the better. I’m not going to compel anybody to take it out, but I’m going to advise the water districts about their legal liability, their legal obligation to their service, to their constituents. And I’m going to give them good information about the science. And I think fluoride will disappear.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr will advise water districts currently using fluoride to review new science:
“I think fluoride is on the way out. I think the faster it goes out the better.”pic.twitter.com/t0RPseUgxg
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) November 6, 2024
