Trump doesn't rule out bans on vaccine & fluoride as he backs RFK Jr's fringe views

With less than 48 hours left for polling, former US President Donald Trump didn’t rule out banning some vaccines if he returns to the White House. The proclamation from the Republican presidential nominee came after he said that Robert F. Kennedy Jr would have a “big role in the administration”.

While speaking to NBC News on a phone call, Trump said he is open to some of Kennedy’s controversial ideas such as imposing a ban on fluoride in the US water systems. Kennedy ran for the presidency as an independent in this year’s election cycle before he dropped his bid and endorsed Trump.

The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy is notorious for spreading conspiracies and falsehoods about vaccines and other public health matters. In the past, he frequently linked vaccines to autism, even though multiple studies have debunked the theory. While speaking to NBC News, Trump did not outrightly say that he would stop the vaccine ban.

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“Well, I’m going to talk to [Kennedy] and talk to other people, and I’ll make a decision, but he’s a very talented guy and has strong views,” the former president commented on the matter. He went on to decline talking about the specific roles Kennedy might play if he came back to power.

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While addressing a rally in Arizona on Thursday, Trump made it clear that Kennedy would have a prominent role in the office and insisted that the political scion “can do anything he wants”. Two sources close to the Trump campaign have said that Kennedy is “going to work on health and women’s health”.

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Meanwhile, on Friday, Kennedy tweeted that on Trump’s first day in office, his administration will push for a “fluoride ban,” claiming it is “industrial waste” that leads to problems like cancer and other diseases. “Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds OK to me,” Trump said Sunday when he was asked about that plan. “You know, it’s possible.”

Soon after RFK Jr launched his crusade against fluoride, major health groups emphasised that the practice of water fluoridation was safe. The Trump team have been embracing RFK Jr’s fringe views in recent days. On an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” last week, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, also spoke about his experience with the Covid vaccine, expressing scepticism about it.