Donald Trump, who places his future government under the sign of allegiance and rupture, announced Thursday that he wanted to entrust the Ministry of Health to Robert F. Kennedy Jr, notoriously skeptical of vaccines.
After already sensational appointments to Justice, Defense and the Directorate of Intelligence, the elected president, even before taking office on January 20, will also test the loyalty of Republican senators, called to confirm his choices.
Under the leadership of this new boss, the Ministry of Health “will play a big role in ensuring that everyone is protected from dangerous chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and food additives that have contributed to the huge health crisis in this country,” Donald Trump wrote on his social networks.
RFK Jr, nephew of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, a former environmental law lawyer with no scientific training, has forged an unlikely alliance with the 78-year-old tribune since he gave up his bid to be an independent presidential candidate in August .
He has propagated conspiracy theories, about vaccines against Covid-19 as well as supposed links between vaccination and autism, and calls for an end to the addition of fluoride to running water. This oral health measure is considered by the medical community to be a great health success.
RFK Jr also wants to fight against junk food and has spoken out in favor of a right to abortion stopping at the viability of the fetus (around 24 weeks).
This man with an elusive personality, addicted to heroin in his youth, recounted during the campaign having abandoned the corpse of a bear cub in Central Park in New York, and one day having to have a worm removed from his brain.
– Loyalty and rupture –
There is no question for Donald Trump of repeating what he described as the “biggest mistake” of his first term (2017-2021), in a podcast with the very influential Joe Rogan, namely choosing “people who were not not loyal.
“Trump's choices meet two criteria: loyalty and rupture”, analyzes for AFP Todd Belt, professor of political science at George Washington University. He wants to surround himself with followers who “are not going to spend their time telling him what he can’t do.”
The positions of Treasury Secretary, Foreign Trade Officer and White House spokesperson, among others, still remain to be filled.
The president-elect, who will take office on January 20, had already sent shock waves on Wednesday with his choices for the intelligence directorate and for the Ministry of Justice.
Tulsi Gabbard, a Democratic Party defector known for her pro-Russia stances, is to become director of National Intelligence.
Donald Trump also chose Matt Gaetz as Minister of Justice. This thunderous Trumpist, suspected of relations with an underage girl, led the overthrow of the Republican boss of the House of Representatives in the fall of 2022, sowing enormous political chaos.
– Telegenic –
Donald Trump, with the exception of a whirlwind visit to Washington on Wednesday, has been holed up since his victory in his Florida residence. According to the press, he chooses his lieutenants by watching televised speeches by the candidates.
His first term had been a succession of spectacular dismissals. Several former advisors or ministers have publicly turned against him.
This time, the 45th and soon 47th president favors personalities who sometimes have no experience of the state apparatus, but who support it without reservation.
Like Elon Musk, who will lead a commission to reduce public spending and deregulation, the legal contours of which remain unclear.
According to the New York Times, the richest man in the world met with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday.
Several future ministers or advisors are regular guests on the conservatives' favorite channel, Fox News.
Donald Trump, himself a former reality TV figure and a big television consumer, “likes people who look good on screen,” says Todd Belt.
To lead the Pentagon, Donald Trump chose a Fox News host, Pete Hegseth. The appointment of this former soldier, with no experience of high-level command, was a huge surprise.
The future president, however, made a choice that contrasts with this quest for absolute loyalty: Florida senator Marco Rubio, with whom he has had conflicting relations in the past, must lead diplomacy.
