AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Former-and-future President Donald Trump announced Thursday his intention to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to an article written by Chelsea Cirruzzo and Meredith McGraw Thursday afternoon, Trump “is expected to nominate former presidential candidate and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a person with direct knowledge of the selection.”
This would be a controversial nomination due to Kennedy lack of any sort of medical or science degree and his long history of promoting conspiracy theories and false information about vaccines and other health issues. The HHS Secretary position is subject to Senate confirmation.
Trump has constantly touted Kennedy’s support and declared his intention to put Kennedy in a high position on health issues, referring to him as one of the “best and brightest minds” who has “good ideas” to help “straighten out our health.” Last month at his rally at Madison Square Garden, Trump once again vowed to let Kennedy “go wild on food” and “go wild on medicines” if he’s re-elected.
One day after the rally, in a video message streamed live online to his supporters, Kennedy declared that Trump had “promised me” he would be given “control of the public health agencies, which are HHS and its other agencies — CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others, and then also the USDA, which is, you know, key to making America healthy again, because we’ve got to get off of seed oils and we’ve got to get off of pesticide intensive agriculture.”
Trump also gave Kennedy a shout out in his victory speech on Election Night, saying he was “going to help make America healthy again.”
“He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him get to it,” Trump added. “Go have a good time, Bobby.”
“Trump could still select someone else for the post,” the Politico report noted.
UPDATE 4:15 pm ET: Trump confirmed the news in a tweet, writing:
I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). 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. The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country. 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!
This is a breaking news story and has been updated with additional information.
