Robert F Kennedy Jr, anti-vaccine activist, is Donald Trump's pick for US health secretary
Donald Trump nominated Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has a strong anti-vaccine stance, to be the health secretary in hid administration.
US President-elect Donald Trump nominated anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Jr. to be the chief of the department of health and human services under his administration. Robert F Kennedy Jr. or RFK, whose views on public health have often been termed as dangerous, will be tasked with overseeing drug, vaccine and food safety, medical research, and social safety net programmes.
Announcing the same on his site Truth Social, Donald Trump said on Thursday, “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.”
Kennedy, Donald Trump said, would “end the Chronic Disease epidemic" and “Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
Shortly after the announcement, Kennedy posted on social media platform X, “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your leadership and courage. I'm committed to advancing your vision to Make America Healthy Again. We have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic.”
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“Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science. I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families,” he added.
Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr.?
- Robert F Kennedy Jr, is one of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the world, and has very strongly backed the now-debunked claim of vaccines causing autism and other health issues.
- He hails from one of the most powerful political families in the world and is the son of the late attorney general Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F Kennedy.
- He had earlier challenged Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination last year, and later ran as in independent in the presidential nomination race.
- However, Kennedy later struck a deal with the Republic Party and fully started endorsing Donald Trump, in return of being alloted the health portfolio in his second administration.
- He and the president-elect have since become good friends. The two campaigned together extensively during the race's final stretch, and Trump had made clear he intended to give Kennedy a major role overseeing public health as part of a campaign to "Make America Healthy Again.”
(With inputs from AP)