How vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr wants to 'Make America Healthy Again'

US President-elect Donald Trump earlier announced Robert F Kennedy Jr, a long-time conspiracy theorist and vaccination critic, would have a “big role in health care” if he won.

The reunion between the returning Republican leader and the Kennedy family scion, who was formerly a well-known environmentalist who advocated for the prosecution of climate change doubters, is somewhat odd.

They do, however, have a deep mistrust of institutions in common. RFK Jr would “have a big role in health care” if Trump won, he declared in the closing days of the campaign.

A complex figure

The announcement caused immediate concern because Kennedy was known to be a sceptic about vaccines.

Kennedy, however, was a prominent climate advocate not long ago and was even considered to be the environment director for former President Barack Obama.

According to some scholars, this makes him a complex figure who contributes some valuable insights.

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“We are not going to take vaccines away from anybody,” he told NPR in an attempt to soothe critics in recent days. “We are going to make sure that Americans have good information,” he said ominously.

Ironically, Kennedy has spent two decades spreading conspiracy theories about vaccines, particularly those related to COVID-19 shots, which were created in record time during Trump’s first presidency.

Before withdrawing to support Trump, to the dismay of his own family, the nephew of assassinated  President John F. Kennedy was receiving almost five per cent of the popular vote.

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‘Make America Healthy Again’

After unsuccessfully approaching Vice President Kamala Harris for a part, the pair has since been advocating for the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, which is a play of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) catchphrase.

His mission: “to transform our nation’s food, fitness, air, water, soil, and medicine,” he said in a video, his voice unsteady due to a neurological condition.

“Our big priority will be to clean up the public health agencies,” he declared, naming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and more.

“Those agencies have become sock puppets for the industries that they’re supposed to regulate,” said the 70-year-old, echoing common progressive criticisms.

On X, he wrote, “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.”

His suggestion that he stop fluoridating tap water, which prevents cavities and is ranked by the CDC as one of the top 10 health achievements of the 20th century, has also caused controversy.

A naturally occurring mineral, fluoride, is released into the land, water, and air by rocks.

However, some have questioned the practice, ranging from whether fluoridation is successful enough to justify the expenditures to a disproved conspiracy notion of a communist scheme in the 1950s. According to Gerry Uswak, the director of the University of Saskatchewan’s oral treatment programme, who spoke with CBS News, many of the worries, including those made by Kennedy in the lead-up to the U.S. election, are not supported by solid scientific evidence.

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A position in administration

In the Trump 2.0 administration, he may get a position as a health secretary or an advisor.

A Cabinet confirmation is now likely with a Republican majority in the Senate.

Trump declared at a recent rally that Kennedy, who was previously detained for opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, would not be a part of his “Drill, baby, drill” plan.

However, Trump’s assertion that he would be in charge of “women’s health” angered Democrats who were already annoyed by Republican-led abortion restrictions.

However, RFK Jr’s views on reproductive rights are difficult to classify. He said, “Ultimately, I do not trust the government to have jurisdiction over people’s bodies,” in support of a woman’s choice to abort a pregnancy at any point this spring.

He later changed his mind and supported a ban after foetal viability, which is approximately 24 weeks. This is the limit established by a Supreme Court decision that was upheld for a half-century before being overturned in 2022 by justices selected by Trump.

According to Reuters, RFK Jr is examining resumes for the top positions in the US government’s health departments in the incoming Trump administration.

Del Bigtree, who served as Kennedy’s campaign director of communications and is still close to the former candidate, stated that he has been asked to suggest candidates for all regulatory health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Healthy food

Kennedy will also address food health in the country, which is an odd assignment given Trump’s well-known love for McDonald’s.

Kennedy argues America needs to stop the rise of chronic diseases, especially obesity. However, he also enjoys drinking raw milk, which is severely discouraged by health experts.

Kennedy argued for drastically lowering the cost of prescription drugs in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, mentioning the diabetic medicine Ozempic, a cause supported by left-leaning Senator Bernie Sanders.

He also proposes preventing food stamp recipients from purchasing soda and ultra-processed foods, a policy “which I have advocated for the past 15 years,” Tom Frieden, CDC director under Obama, said in Stat News.

While agreeing with Kennedy’s focus on chronic disease, Frieden remains wary. “The MAHA combination of sound science, pseudo-science, and profiteering by so-called ‘wellness’ companies isn’t the answer.”

With inputs from AFP