Donald Trump Appoints Anti-Vaccine Activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health Secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health Secretary: Donald Trump has named Robert F Kennedy Jr, an environmentalist and vaccine denier, to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Mr Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race in August and endorsed Trump. He has said he will focus on chronic diseases.

“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,”

Trump said in a post on X. “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!”

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Trump announced the pick Thursday. Kennedy accepted Thursday. He has been one of the biggest anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists in the country for years and has spread many false vaccine conspiracy theories.

He’s been in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days since the election.

In a statement Thursday, Kennedy emphasized the importance of ridding the department of “corruption” and vowed to “provide Americans with transparency” so they can make individual health decisions.

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“I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth,” Kennedy said.

If confirmed as the head of public health in the country, Kennedy would run the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid. Though Trump has backed off on full repeal of Obamacare, it’s unclear if he and his health officials will release a plan to fix the law as he promised on the campaign trail.

Kennedy would also be involved in any changes Trump and congressional Republicans make to Medicaid which covers low income Americans.

In his first term the agency tried to implement work requirements which was blocked in court and lawmakers tried to cut the program’s funding.

The program covers 72.5 million Americans and will be a target in his second term as the GOP looks for ways to pay for the tax cuts they want to pass.

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