On Nov. 14, President-elect Donald Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Mr. Kennedy joins a team of politicians, news anchors and businessmen that Mr. Trump has named as potential cabinet nominees since his election in early November.
"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," Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "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!"
Here are eight things to know about the incoming HHS director:
1. Mr. Kennedy ran for president as an independent prior to dropping out in August and supporting Mr. Trump.
2. Prior to entering politics, Mr. Kennedy worked in public service, leading children's welfare and environmental causes. He founded the Waterkeepers Alliance, a clean-water advocacy group, and the Children's Health Defense, a membership organization that addresses childhood chronic disease and toxic exposure.
3. Mr. Kennedy is the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew to John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States.
4. Mr. Kennedy has a record of publicly questioning the safety and efficacy of vaccinations. He has gone as far as to link inoculations to autism, which has been disproven by certain scientific evidence.
5. With a focus on chronic disease and chemicals, which he calls a "chronic disease epidemic," Mr. Kennedy has indicated that he will zero in on onditions such as autism, obesity and diabetes. He will also work to cut back on chemicals in food and suggested significant changes in health agencies, like the FDA.
6. Mr. Kennedy has also been critical of the FDA's current operations, and has suggested making cuts to the agency's 18,000 employees and reshaping policies. In a Nov. 6 post on X, Mr. Kennedy said Mr. Trump has asked him to accomplish three tasks: clean up "corruption" in government health agencies, return the agencies to "their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science," and "make America healthy again" by ending the "chronic disease epidemic."
7. Fluoride is another public health concern of Mr. Kennedy. He has suggested removing it from public water supplies and has reportedly linked it to health issues like bone cancer, arthritis, bone fractures, IQ loss, thyroid disease and neurodevelopmental disorders. Mr. Kennedy suggested in a Nov. 2 X post that Mr. Trump's administration will remove fluoride from public water on Jan. 20.
8. Some public health and medical organizations, including the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, have expressed concerns over Mr. Kennedy's nomination, citing his lack of qualifications and distrust in vaccinations.