Trump appoints Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary
The anti-vaccine activist will preside over the federal agency that oversees drugs, food, medical research and social security programs.
Ap, Afp and Reuters
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, November 15, 2024, p. 25
New York. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, as his next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a choice that would add to the mogul’s list of provocative selections whose confirmation will test the loyalty of Senate Republicans.
The federal agency oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the Medicare and Medicaid safety net programs.
Americans have been crushed for too long by the food industrial complex and pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in deception and misinformation when it comes to public health.Trump noted on his social media platform Truth Social, where he announced Kennedy’s appointment, and assured, he will put end the chronic disease epidemic and will make “America Great and Healthy Again!”
Kennedy is one of the most well-known anti-vaccine activists worldwide and has long promoted the idea that vaccines cause autism and other health problems.
A member of one of the country’s most recognizable political families, Kennedy is the son of the late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He first ran against President Joe Biden for the Democratic Party nomination last year. He later ran as an independent until he dropped his candidacy after striking a deal to back Trump with the promise of getting a role in the new administration’s health policy.
The former president made clear that he intended to give Kennedy a significant role in public health oversight as part of a campaign to make America healthy again. I’ll let you go crazy on [el sector] healthDonald Trump added at a rally last month.
During his victory speech last week in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump declared: Go and have fun, Bobby!
In the past, Kennedy told the British agency Reuters his strong support for Israelwhom he considers a moral nation who was responding precisely to Hamas provocations with their attacks on Gaza.
When asked if he supported a temporary ceasefire in the strip, the then independent candidate expressed: I don’t even know what that means right now.
Veterans Affairs
The Republican magnate also announced that he chose Doug Collins, a former Georgia legislator, to lead the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Collins is a chaplain with the Air Force Reserve Command. The Republican was a member of Congress from 2013 to 2021 and helped defend Trump during his first impeachment trial.