Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may assume some management over U.S. well being and meals safety in a second Trump administration, in accordance with stories Saturday, alarming Democrats who imagine the previous environmental lawyer and impartial presidential candidate may maintain energy to behave on their skeptical views about vaccines.
In line with the Washington Put up, Kennedy met with Trump transition officers to assist craft an agenda for a brand new administration and will take a broad “well being czar” place that will not require Senate affirmation.
Kennedy, who ended his White Home bid and endorsed Trump, and his advisers have additionally been drafting 30-, 60- and 90-day plans for a second Trump time period, the outlet reported, citing a supply “acquainted” with the planning course of.
Kamala Harris criticized the thought, saying Friday that Kennedy is “precisely the final particular person in America who ought to set well being care coverage for American households and kids.”
The Democratic candidate additional described Kennedy as “somebody who has routinely promoted junk science and loopy conspiracy theories.”
Final week, Kennedy warned in a submit on X that “the FDA's struggle on public well being is about to finish. This contains their aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, uncooked milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, nutritional vitamins, clear meals, daylight, train, nutraceuticals, and the rest that promotes human well being and can’t be patented by Farmacéutica”.
He added: “In case you work for the FDA and are a part of this corrupt system, I’ve two messages for you: 1. Preserve your information and a couple of. Pack your luggage.”
Ted Kennedy Jr, RFK Jr's cousin and a well being lawyer, stated he was “deeply involved” about Trump's election.
“We can not put anybody answerable for well being care who doesn’t perceive how docs and scientists develop greatest practices and preserve us protected, and who has no medical coaching or information of how well being care is organized, delivered and paid for,” he acknowledged. he instructed Stat.
However Trump appears decided. Final week he instructed right-wing determine Tucker Carlson that Kennedy was “going to work on well being and ladies's well being.”
“He actually desires to do it with the pesticides and, you recognize, all of the various things. I stated he can do it,” Trump stated. “He can do no matter he desires. He desires to take a look at the vaccines. He desires… all the things. I believe it's nice. I believe it's nice.”
“He's an important man. I've recognized him for a very long time. And all the things he desires to do, it's quite simple, he desires individuals to be wholesome,” Trump instructed NBC Information on Friday. Marketing campaign officers beforehand instructed the outlet that Kennedy may lead an “Operation Warp Pace for childhood persistent ailments,” a reference to the Trump administration's $20 billion Covid vaccine improvement program.
However dialogue of a attainable Kennedy function in a brand new Trump administration has additionally raised the difficulty of the response to the 2020-21 Covid-19 pandemic, which has been largely absent from the election marketing campaign.
JD Vance, Trump's vp choose, expressed skepticism in regards to the Covid vaccine throughout a sit-down with podcaster Joe Rogan posted Thursday.
“I bought the vaccine and, you recognize, I haven't had any boosters or something like that, however the second I actually began to get nervous about the entire vaccine factor was by far the sickest I've ever been.” within the final 15 years. That was once I took the vaccine,” the Ohio senator instructed Rogan.
Kennedy, who additionally expressed doubts about Covid vaccines, stated at a rally final week that Trump had promised him “management” of public well being businesses such because the Division of Well being and Human Companies and the Division of Agriculture.
Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump's transition workforce, confirmed to CNN this week that he spent two and a half hours with Kennedy “and it was probably the most extraordinary factor.”
“I stated, 'Then inform me. How will it go? And he stated, 'Why don't you hearken to me clarify issues?'” Lutnick stated. He didn’t deny that Kennedy was proper to say he would lead public well being businesses in a Trump administration.
“I believe it could be nice to present him the information. Let’s see what he comes up with,” Lutnick added.
In a press release, Trump marketing campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated there have been “no formal selections” on potential Trump administration appointments. However he added that the previous president “has stated he’ll work alongside passionate voices like RFK Jr to make America wholesome once more by offering households with protected meals and ending the epidemic of persistent ailments plaguing our kids,” referring to sort 2 diabetes.