How Might Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Influence the White House?
Key Takeaways:Kennedy’s potential role in the Trump administration isn’t solidified, but he said Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies, including the CDC and the FDA. Kennedy has a long history of spreading discredited theories on vaccines. The controversial figure, who has a history of spreading discredited theories on vaccines, suspended his own independent and at times bizarre campaign for the White House in August and endorsed Trump.Trump thanked him for the endorsement and even gave Kennedy a shoutout in his victory speech on Nov. 6.“I just want to say that on behalf of this great group of people – these are hardworking people, these are fantastic people. And we can add a few names, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He came out, and he's going to help make America healthy again,” Trump said. “And now he's a great guy and he really means it. He wants to do some things, and we're going to let him go to it.”Photos: Trump’s Victory NightWhile his potential new role isn’t solidified, Kennedy said that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and more. Kennedy has said that “entire departments” within the FDA “have to go.” It’s unclear exactly what authority Trump would grant Kennedy and whether his plans will face any obstacles in Congress or during the rule-making process.Kennedy outlined his goals for the FDA in October: “FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can't be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”The only thing that will be off limits to Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, according to Trump: oil and gas.“Bobby, stay away from the liquid gold,” Trump said during his victory speech. “Other than that, go have a good time, Bobby.”Here are some of Kennedy’s stances on certain health policies that he could have influence over during the Trump administration:VaccinesAside from his family’s name, Kennedy is perhaps best known for his stance on vaccines, a topic on which many health experts have criticized him for raising uncertainty over the public’s safety.In a recent interview with CNN after the election, Kennedy denied claims that he opposes vaccines, adding that he wanted to make sure people had the information they needed to make their own choices about whether to take them.“I’m not going to take away anyone’s vaccines. I’ve never been anti-vaccine,” Kennedy said. “I’m going to make sure the science and the safety studies and efficacies are out there and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”But Kennedy’s past comments and record on vaccines offer a much different picture than the one he is now attempting to portray.In a July 2023 interview with Fox News, Kennedy said he believed vaccines were linked to autism in children, a long-disproven myth that was based on the findings of a 1998 Lancet study authored by disgraced former physician and anti-vaccine activist Andrew Wakefield. The British doctor’s study claimed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine caused autism, findings that subsequent reviews found to be fraudulent and led to Wakefield eventually losing his license to practice medicine in the U.K.Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director for the American Public Health Association, says Kennedy could try to undermine confidence in vaccines in any number of ways from within a Trump administration, such as attempting to appoint people that have anti-vaccine views to key vaccine advisory panels like the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.Whatever influence Kennedy has on health policy, Benjamin says it is his use of the bully pulpit to spread his views that could ultimately have the greatest impact on eroding public trust in taking vaccines – and the agencies tasked with their oversight.“He has historically given bad information around vaccines in terms of misinformation,” Benjamin says. “I think his credibility around vaccines is shot. So even if he’s out there championing a vaccine because he thinks it’s important, who’s going to believe him?”FluorideKennedy has called for the removal of fluoride from the nation’s water supply, alleging its consumption is associated with an array of health risks, including cognitive issues and cancer.“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S., water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote in a Nov. 2 social media post. “Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”Fluoride, a mineral experts say helps strengthen teeth, was first added to the water supply in some parts of the U.S. in the mid-1940s and has been recommended to be included in public water supplies since 1962.While drinking water that contain high levels of fluoride has been associated with pain and stiffness to joints, “no strong link” has been found in population studies or reviews by national and global health agencies, including the World Health Organization and the National Research Council linking fluoridated drinking water to increased risk of developing cancer.A 2023 report from the National Toxicology Program concluded “with moderate confidence” that lower IQ in children could be linked with consuming drinking water containing fluoride at levels of more than 1.5 milligrams per liter, which is twice the recommended level for drinking water in U.S. community water supplies.“One of the things some of these individuals like Mr. Kennedy believe is that there are other ways to deliver fluoride (like toothpaste) that are topical and more focused and, therefore, in his mind have a lower risk profile,” Benjamin says. “But communities that have fluoridated water have better dental outcomes than communities that don’t.”The federal government does not require public drinking water to contain fluoride, and the decision to do so is left up to state and local governments.Still, Kennedy could move to ban fluoride in public drinking water – a process Benjamin says could take years to complete.“He could come in on Day One and try to initiate such a process,” Benjamin says. “But it is a long, torturous process that’s not going to happen quickly.”Chronic DiseaseA key priority touted within Trump’s “Make American Healthy Again” campaign policy was a focus on reducing the rate of chronic illness in the U.S., a situation Kennedy has accused the U.S. medical system of turning into a money-making venture at the expense of health.“We have a medical cartel, which our regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical companies, doctors and hospitals – which are all owned by hedge funds – are now making a killing on chronic disease,” said Kennedy in comments posted to his YouTube channel earlier this year. “And the sicker we get, the richer they get.”Big FoodPart of Trump’s plan would call for addressing the “root causes” of chronic disease by focusing on issues such as improving diet and “environment toxins,” conditions that Kennedy has suggested in the past were fueling chronic disease.Kennedy has embraced what he calls “clean” foods in his pursuit of holistic health. He has proposed stopping beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from using that assistance to buy sugar-sweetened beverages or processed foods in an effort to reduce obesity levels.Several cities have implemented excise taxes on sugary beverages to discourage consumption, which evidence has shown to be linked to lower body mass index rates among youth living in those communities.Kennedy has been critical of herbicides like Roundup and large commercial farms that dominate the agriculture industry. He asked Trump to “revisit” pesticide and other chemical-use standards and to reform crop subsidies because they “make corn, soybeans and wheat artificially cheap, so those crops end up in many processed forms.”Big PharmaDuring Kennedy’s campaign for the presidency, he promised to “end” the “corruption” of pharmaceutical companies and criticized the Biden administration for COVID-19 vaccine mandates that he said made money for Pfizer.“How much did your mandates give to all the vaccine companies? You may have capped a few prices, that’s great, but have you ended the corruption in pharma? I don't think so,” Kennedy posted of the Biden administration on social media. “But I will end it.”He said he wants to advance human health through strategies that “can't be patented by Pharma.” His list includes ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, two drugs that gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither has been approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 and data doesn’t demonstrate that they are effective against the coronavirus.
Kennedy has said he wants to end the FDA’s ‘war on public health’ and has said Trump wants him to ‘reorganize’ entire agencies. Here’s a look at his stances on public health.
Key Takeaways:
- Kennedy’s potential role in the Trump administration isn’t solidified, but he said Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies, including the CDC and the FDA.
- Kennedy has a long history of spreading discredited theories on vaccines.
The controversial figure, who has a history of spreading discredited theories on vaccines, suspended his own independent and at times bizarre campaign for the White House in August and endorsed Trump.
Trump thanked him for the endorsement and even gave Kennedy a shoutout in his victory speech on Nov. 6.
“I just want to say that on behalf of this great group of people – these are hardworking people, these are fantastic people. And we can add a few names, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He came out, and he's going to help make America healthy again,” Trump said. “And now he's a great guy and he really means it. He wants to do some things, and we're going to let him go to it.”
Photos: Trump’s Victory Night
While his potential new role isn’t solidified, Kennedy said that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and more. Kennedy has said that “entire departments” within the FDA “have to go.” It’s unclear exactly what authority Trump would grant Kennedy and whether his plans will face any obstacles in Congress or during the rule-making process.
Kennedy outlined his goals for the FDA in October: “FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can't be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”
The only thing that will be off limits to Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, according to Trump: oil and gas.
“Bobby, stay away from the liquid gold,” Trump said during his victory speech. “Other than that, go have a good time, Bobby.”
Here are some of Kennedy’s stances on certain health policies that he could have influence over during the Trump administration:
Vaccines
Aside from his family’s name, Kennedy is perhaps best known for his stance on vaccines, a topic on which many health experts have criticized him for raising uncertainty over the public’s safety.
In a recent interview with CNN after the election, Kennedy denied claims that he opposes vaccines, adding that he wanted to make sure people had the information they needed to make their own choices about whether to take them.
“I’m not going to take away anyone’s vaccines. I’ve never been anti-vaccine,” Kennedy said. “I’m going to make sure the science and the safety studies and efficacies are out there and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”
But Kennedy’s past comments and record on vaccines offer a much different picture than the one he is now attempting to portray.
In a July 2023 interview with Fox News, Kennedy said he believed vaccines were linked to autism in children, a long-disproven myth that was based on the findings of a 1998 Lancet study authored by disgraced former physician and anti-vaccine activist Andrew Wakefield. The British doctor’s study claimed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine caused autism, findings that subsequent reviews found to be fraudulent and led to Wakefield eventually losing his license to practice medicine in the U.K.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director for the American Public Health Association, says Kennedy could try to undermine confidence in vaccines in any number of ways from within a Trump administration, such as attempting to appoint people that have anti-vaccine views to key vaccine advisory panels like the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Whatever influence Kennedy has on health policy, Benjamin says it is his use of the bully pulpit to spread his views that could ultimately have the greatest impact on eroding public trust in taking vaccines – and the agencies tasked with their oversight.
“He has historically given bad information around vaccines in terms of misinformation,” Benjamin says. “I think his credibility around vaccines is shot. So even if he’s out there championing a vaccine because he thinks it’s important, who’s going to believe him?”
Fluoride
Kennedy has called for the removal of fluoride from the nation’s water supply, alleging its consumption is associated with an array of health risks, including cognitive issues and cancer.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S., water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote in a Nov. 2 social media post. “Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”
Fluoride, a mineral experts say helps strengthen teeth, was first added to the water supply in some parts of the U.S. in the mid-1940s and has been recommended to be included in public water supplies since 1962.
While drinking water that contain high levels of fluoride has been associated with pain and stiffness to joints, “no strong link” has been found in population studies or reviews by national and global health agencies, including the World Health Organization and the National Research Council linking fluoridated drinking water to increased risk of developing cancer.
A 2023 report from the National Toxicology Program concluded “with moderate confidence” that lower IQ in children could be linked with consuming drinking water containing fluoride at levels of more than 1.5 milligrams per liter, which is twice the recommended level for drinking water in U.S. community water supplies.
“One of the things some of these individuals like Mr. Kennedy believe is that there are other ways to deliver fluoride (like toothpaste) that are topical and more focused and, therefore, in his mind have a lower risk profile,” Benjamin says. “But communities that have fluoridated water have better dental outcomes than communities that don’t.”
The federal government does not require public drinking water to contain fluoride, and the decision to do so is left up to state and local governments.
Still, Kennedy could move to ban fluoride in public drinking water – a process Benjamin says could take years to complete.
“He could come in on Day One and try to initiate such a process,” Benjamin says. “But it is a long, torturous process that’s not going to happen quickly.”
Chronic Disease
A key priority touted within Trump’s “Make American Healthy Again” campaign policy was a focus on reducing the rate of chronic illness in the U.S., a situation Kennedy has accused the U.S. medical system of turning into a money-making venture at the expense of health.
“We have a medical cartel, which our regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical companies, doctors and hospitals – which are all owned by hedge funds – are now making a killing on chronic disease,” said Kennedy in comments posted to his YouTube channel earlier this year. “And the sicker we get, the richer they get.”
Big Food
Part of Trump’s plan would call for addressing the “root causes” of chronic disease by focusing on issues such as improving diet and “environment toxins,” conditions that Kennedy has suggested in the past were fueling chronic disease.
Kennedy has embraced what he calls “clean” foods in his pursuit of holistic health. He has proposed stopping beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from using that assistance to buy sugar-sweetened beverages or processed foods in an effort to reduce obesity levels.
Several cities have implemented excise taxes on sugary beverages to discourage consumption, which evidence has shown to be linked to lower body mass index rates among youth living in those communities.
Kennedy has been critical of herbicides like Roundup and large commercial farms that dominate the agriculture industry. He asked Trump to “revisit” pesticide and other chemical-use standards and to reform crop subsidies because they “make corn, soybeans and wheat artificially cheap, so those crops end up in many processed forms.”
Big Pharma
During Kennedy’s campaign for the presidency, he promised to “end” the “corruption” of pharmaceutical companies and criticized the Biden administration for COVID-19 vaccine mandates that he said made money for Pfizer.
“How much did your mandates give to all the vaccine companies? You may have capped a few prices, that’s great, but have you ended the corruption in pharma? I don't think so,” Kennedy posted of the Biden administration on social media. “But I will end it.”
He said he wants to advance human health through strategies that “can't be patented by Pharma.” His list includes ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, two drugs that gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither has been approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 and data doesn’t demonstrate that they are effective against the coronavirus.