Trump names RFK Jr. as his pick to lead HHS
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in a controversial choice that would elevate the prominent vaccine skeptic to a position overseeing the nation’s leading health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Trump named Kennedy to the role via a post on Truth Social Thursday afternoon.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health,” Trump wrote. “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!”
A Democrat turned independent candidate for president, Kennedy threw his support behind Trump after withdrawing from the race. In campaign rallies, Trump pledged to let Kennedy “go wild” on healthcare, embracing Kennedy’s vision to go after the food and drug industries.
Most notably, Kennedy has long questioned the safety and efficacy of proven vaccines, claiming links to autism and other conditions. His appointment to a role overseeing both the FDA, which approves vaccines, and the CDC, which develops recommendations for their use in specific populations, is likely to raise alarms among many public health officials.
Kennedy has also called for the elimination of fluoride from the country’s water supply, targeting an initiative that’s been credited with improving the dental health of Americans.
Trump’s announcement of Kennedy as his pick for HHS comes after the president-elect said he’d nominate other controversial figures to prominent posts within his administration, including former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Fox News host Peter Hegseth as secretary of defense.
Presidential cabinet nominations, among them HHS secretary, must be confirmed by a majority of the Senate.
This is breaking news. This story will be updated with more details soon.
