A key figure in Donald Trump's election campaign and A Possible data Among his successors is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., or RFK Jr. for brief. After abandoning his leanings toward the president, the distinguished anti-vaxxer endorsed and campaigned for Trump, helping lead him to victory.
Kennedy promoted the banner “Make America Healthy AgainDuring the campaign. Now Trump has made it clear that Kennedy will play a very important role in health.
It has been promised”A big character“In health policy guidance, and Trump has said he'll enable Kennedy”go wildOn health, food and medicine.
So, who's Kennedy and what might his vision of a healthy America mean for public health in America and globally?
Who is RFK Jr.?
RFK Jr Born right into a famous American political family. He is the son of Robert F. Kennedy, who served as U.S. Attorney General under his brother, John F. Kennedy, who was president. Robert F. Kennedy was a senator before he was assassinated during his run for the presidency in 1968.
His son, RFK Jr., was a distinguished and effective environmental lawyer and activist, helping to bring lawsuits against corporations, including Montsanto And DuPont.
However, over the past 20 years, they've develop into more popular for embracing something different. Conspiracy theories And as one A major source of vaccine misinformation is spreading on social media.
Kennedy recently said that he “I will not take anyone's vaccine.” However, he continues to make false claims about COVID vaccines, and now and again promotes false facts about vaccines and autism. Scientific consensus There is not any causal link.
What might be his role?
Although Trump has publicly pledged to provide Kennedy a significant role, it's unclear what that might be.
Based on video obtained by PoliticsKennedy said he was promised control of federal public health agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and its subsidiary agencies, in addition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Of Health.
Such a broad authority can be unprecedented. Appointments to major agencies and cabinet positions within the US government require congressional approval. Kennedy's lack of experience in health care or public health, and his absence of scientific training and credentials, would make such approval uncertain. His unscientific accusations will resurface and there'll almost definitely be a media circus.
Even if Kennedy were able of authority, many changes to those federal agencies would require congressional oversight. For example, any change within the drug approval process can be difficult to implement within the short term.
This will not be to attenuate the damage done to Kennedy. In retrospect, Trump Withheld congressional approval By appointing “standing officials” to numerous posts. So even with no government position, Kennedy's potential influence within the Trump administration is worrisome.
More misinformation
It's no wonder Trump called Kennedy “health kingof his second presidency. Both have spread COVID misinformation and promoted unproven treatments, especially early in the pandemic. These include promoting hydrochloroquine (when strong evidence exists). Cardiotoxic effects).
Kennedy takes advantage of the language of science to trace credibility. He guarantees. Return to health agencies. “Their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science” and “clean upHe accuses the agencies of being corrupt. He may thoroughly back off. Regulatory Controls that protect Americans' health from unproven treatments.
If Kennedy is to develop into the health czar of a Trump presidency, his platform might be greatly expanded to recruit Americans to his anti-science agenda. The result? An actual threat to public health.
Vaccine-preventable infections, reminiscent of measles, will increase.
Many Americans have also grown up with fluoridated water and haven't seen the consequences of dental caries (tooth decay). Therefore, Kennedy could possibly be placed to a fantastic extent to persuade the American public that fluoridated water is dangerous, and that fluoridation needs to be a person selection.
Governments and public health officials may face an uphill battle to take care of fluoride in community water supplies, considered one of the best public health achievements of the past century.
If Kennedy's anti-science claims gain traction, his legacy might be the other of Banner's”.Make America Healthy Again“The health of the American population will deteriorate with far-reaching effects for many years to return.
There are also global implications.
The potential pitfalls of placing a person like Kennedy able of power and influence is not going to only affect Americans.
For example, after Kennedy and his anti-vaccine organization visited Samoa in 2019, two children died. was misattributed The vaccination rate in Samoa for measles vaccination dropped to 31% (half of the previous rate) and resulted in 83 deaths from the measles outbreak.
Kennedy questioned whether the deaths were “related.”Improper vaccines“And denied having any hand in spreading misinformation.
It was considered one of the crowning achievements of Trump's previous presidency. Operation warp speedwhich enabled the event, testing and mass production of COVID vaccines at an unprecedented pace, saving tens of millions of lives worldwide.
If one other pandemic occurs in the following 4 years with Kennedy within the White House, America is unlikely to offer such leadership.
Kennedy has been deeply critical of the event of a Covid vaccine, including in his 2021 best-selling book, The real Anthony Fauciconcerning the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Kennedy said that COVID vaccines weren't sufficiently tested and continued to advocate unproven COVID treatments, particularly hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
In the podcast Earlier that 12 months, Fauci recalled a presentation Kennedy gave him about vaccines. For 40 minutes Kennedy showed slide after slide […] Makes no sense.”
Later, Fauci, speaking with Kennedy, said:
Bobby, I'm sure you care concerning the kids and also you don't wish to hurt them. But you might have to know that from a scientific viewpoint, what you might be saying is not sensible.
Unfortunately, within the distorted reality of the Trump administration with Kennedy, truth and science not matter. And the health of the world will suffer.