President-elect Donald Trump stated Thursday he has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, to steer the Division of Well being and Human Providers, he introduced in a social media put up.
Trump stated that Kennedy will “restore” the businesses beneath HHS “to the traditions of Gold Commonplace Scientific Analysis, and beacons of Transparency, to finish the Power Illness epidemic, and to Make America Nice and Wholesome Once more!”
HHS oversees main well being businesses such because the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the Meals and Drug Administration and the Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Providers, amongst others.
The job requires Senate affirmation.
Kennedy, who suspended his unbiased presidential marketing campaign in August and endorsed Trump, stated forward of Election Day that Trump had “promised” him “management of the general public well being businesses.”
Kennedy has broadly suggested Trump and the transition workforce on well being related-appointments, sources acquainted with the matter advised ABC Information. Kennedy had additionally been noticed at Mar-a-Lago a number of occasions and had been participating in shows that included candidates for particular Cupboard and well being associated jobs, sources stated.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks forward of a stay interview with commentator Tucker Carlson and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, through the finale of the Tucker Carlson Stay Tour in Glendale, Arizona, Oct. 31, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP through Getty Photos
Kennedy has been an anti-vaccine activist and based the Kids’s Well being Protection, a distinguished anti-vaccine nonprofit that has campaigned in opposition to immunizations and different public well being measures like water fluoridation. Medical specialists expressed issues a couple of rise in medical misinformation by way of Kennedy’s candidacy. Notably, Kennedy has falsely claimed that childhood vaccines trigger autism, regardless of the retraction of the examine that initially recommended this hyperlink, and quite a few subsequent high-quality research disproving this idea.
Kennedy has stated publicly that he needs to cut back authorities overreach, which he typically frames as a problem of medical freedom.
On the marketing campaign path, Trump touted Kennedy’s position in serving to him “straighten out our well being,” however joked that he is fearful about his robust stance on the atmosphere, Trump saying he needs to maintain drilling.
Trump first floated the thought of Kennedy main his administration’s well being efforts through the Al Smith Dinner final month. He stated Kennedy will “make us a more healthy place.”
“We’re gonna let him go wild for a short time, then I am gonna must possibly rein him again, as a result of he is received some fairly wild concepts, however most of them are actually good,” Trump stated on the dinner. “I believe he is a he is a superb man, and he believes, he believes the atmosphere, the wholesome individuals. He needs wholesome individuals, he needs wholesome meals. And he will do it. He’ll have an enormous probability to do it, as a result of we do want that.”
Trump and Kennedy have not all the time gotten together with each hurling insults all through their campaigns.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks throughout a marketing campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump at Macomb Group Faculty on Nov. 1, 2024, in Warren, Michigan.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos
When Kennedy first signaled plans to leap into the 2024 race, Trump stated he felt assured that Kennedy would take votes away from President Joe Biden, labeling him a far-left liberal.
“Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and all the time might be!!! It is nice for MAGA, however the Communists will make it very exhausting for him to get on the Poll,” Trump posted on his social media platform in March.
Kennedy fired again in an April put up on X, criticizing the previous president and saying that Trump’s rant in opposition to him “is a barely coherent barrage of untamed and inaccurate claims” and challenged Trump to a debate.
ABC Information’ Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.
