Trump picks anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccination activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a enormous agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs of Medicare and Medicaid.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the food industrial complex and pharmaceutical companies that engage in fraud, disinformation and disinformation when it comes to public health,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website announcing the nomination. Kennedy, he said, “will make America great and healthy again!”

Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential election, withdrew his candidacy after striking a deal giving Trump an endorsement and promising to play a role in the administration’s health policy.

He and Trump have since become good friends, with Kennedy often receiving clamorous applause at his rallies.

Politico was the first to report the expected nomination on Thursday.

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, is a lawyer who has developed a committed following over the decades who admire his lawsuits against major pesticide and pharmaceutical companies. He pushed for stricter regulations on food ingredients.

Trump’s campaign sought to boost support, especially among youthful mothers, with a message about making food healthier in the U.S. and promising model regulations imposed in Europe. In a nod to Trump’s original campaign slogan, he named the effort “Make America Health Again.”

It’s unclear how this squares with Trump’s history of deregulating enormous industries, including food. Trump, for example, has pushed for fewer inspections in the meat industry.

Kennedy’s stance on vaccines has also made him a controversial figure among Democrats and some Republicans, raising questions about his ability to win confirmation, even in the GOP-controlled Senate. Kennedy espoused misinformation about vaccine safety, including the completely discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism.

He also said he would recommend removing fluoride from drinking water. The addition of this material has been cited to lead to improved dental health.

HHS employs more than 80,000 employees nationwide. It houses the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and the National Institutes of Health.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, is currently pursuing a lawsuit against a number of news organizations, including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to detect misinformation, including about Covid-19 and Covid-19. 19 vaccines. Kennedy left the group when he announced his presidential candidacy, but he is listed in the lawsuit as one of its lawyers.