Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate selected as the Secretary of Health and Human Services for Donald Trump's second administration launching in January next year, has expressed his ambition to "Make America Healthy Again." Locally, there are growing voices of opposition warning that a 'vaccine conspiracy theorist' without expertise leading the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees public health policy in the U.S., would inevitably lead to a disaster.
Trump Nominates Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services
On the 14th (local time), Kennedy Jr. posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "I am grateful to Donald Trump (President-elect)" and wrote, "I look forward to working with over 80,000 employees of the Department of Health and Human Services to free the agencies from corporate capture and once again pursue the mission of making Americans the healthiest people on Earth." He emphasized, "Together, we will root out corruption, stop the revolving door practices between industry and government, and restore health agencies to the highest standards of evidence-based science."
President-elect Trump also explained the reason for the appointment in a statement released earlier, saying, "Americans have been trampled for too long by the industrial food complex and pharmaceutical companies engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation related to public health," and added, "Kennedy Jr. will restore these agencies to the tradition of top-tier scientific research and transparency, ending the spread of chronic diseases and making America great and healthy again."
Known as a 'vaccine conspiracy theorist,' Kennedy Jr. has a history of lobbying against vaccines, claiming before the COVID-19 pandemic that vaccine use causes autism and other conditions. Just before the presidential election, he threatened via posts on X to fire FDA employees who he said were waging a 'war on public health.' Previously, in several official appearances, he repeatedly made baseless claims such as artificial chemicals turning children gay or transgender, and that part of his brain was eaten by parasites. Local media pointed out that although Kennedy Jr. has been vocal about vaccine safety and public health issues, he holds no medical degree or professional education in related fields.
Criticism Mounts: "Conspiracy Theorist Should Not Be Responsible for Public Health"
There has been an outpouring of criticism locally regarding this nomination. The progressive nonprofit Public Citizen stated, "Kennedy Jr. is a clear danger," adding, "He should not be allowed inside the Department of Health and Human Services building, let alone be responsible for the nation's public health agencies." They criticized, "Trump is setting the stage for another policy-driven public health disaster." Apu Akkad, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Southern California, wrote on his X account, "A frightening day for public health," and expressed concern over Kennedy Jr.'s conspiracy theories, saying, "Making public health decisions based on strong evidence and adapting is most important. At least this much should have been learned from COVID-19."
Conservative commentator and lawyer George Conway referred to the nominations of Attorney General Matt Gaetz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services announced the previous day, saying, "Each is among the worst in U.S. history. It's astonishing that Trump managed all three in just 24 hours." Alastair McAlpine, a physician at British Columbia Children's Hospital, also condemned the decision, saying, "It's hard to overstate how terrible this decision is," and called Kennedy Jr. "untrained in medical education, a thorough anti-vaxxer, and a purveyor of misinformation." The Guardian analyzed that Kennedy Jr.'s cabinet appointment likely heightens fears that Trump is eager to bring extremists and loyalists into the administration rather than experts and technocrats.
Trump’s Patronage Appointment... Analysis Suggests "Senate Republicans Will Ultimately Support"
CNN noted that this nomination is noteworthy, mentioning that Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, had said in an interview shortly before the election that Kennedy Jr. would not take charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. That response caused confusion even among Trump’s close aides, but ultimately, Trump’s decision appears to be a reward to Kennedy Jr., who withdrew from the presidential race during the campaign and supported Trump.
Accordingly, it is analyzed that Republican senators are likely to support Trump’s choice despite personal concerns surrounding Kennedy Jr. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must be confirmed by the Senate. The Republican Party, victorious in the U.S. presidential election, holds the majority in both the Senate and the House, thus controlling both the executive and legislative branches.
When asked if he was concerned about Kennedy Jr.'s appointment, Republican Senator Jim Banks replied, "Trump won the popular vote," adding, "Vaccines are a topic many voters wanted us to address." Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also told CNN, "If they (the Senate) do not approve Kennedy Jr., they will have to face Trump, Elon Musk, his political pack, and the American people," and said, "One reason Trump won the popular vote was because of Kennedy Jr.'s active support and the 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda they put forward."
A member of the prominent Democratic Kennedy family, he had been a Democrat but left the party last year before this year's presidential election and ran as an independent candidate. He later withdrew from the race in August and declared support for then-candidate Trump.
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