Aged 70, the man who experienced growing popularity during the various confinements linked to Covid-19 recently maintained in interviews that he “would not take away anyone's vaccines”.
A list that continues to grow. More than a week after his new election as President of the United States, Donald Trump continues his series of sensational appointments for his future administration. On Thursday, November 14, he announced his desire to entrust the Ministry of Health to Robert F. Kennedy Jr (“RFK Jr”), notoriously skeptical of vaccines.
Under his leadership, the ministry “will play a big role in ensuring that everyone is protected from the dangerous chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and food additives that have contributed to the enormous health crisis in this country “, wrote the president-elect on the social network
Great popularity during the Covid period
The nephew of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, a 70-year-old former environmental law lawyer with no scientific training, has forged an unlikely alliance with Trump since he gave up his bid to be an independent presidential candidate in August.
The son of Robert Kennedy, himself assassinated in 1968, was credited with around 5% of the vote as an independent candidate before withdrawing and supporting Donald Trump. Much to the dismay of other members of his famous family.
He, who has no scientific training, is known for spreading conspiracy theories, particularly on vaccines against Covid-19, the very ones developed in record time under the Trump administration.
According to him, the Covid-19 pandemic has its origins in a laboratory in the city of Wuhan and was spread with the aim of establishing a kind of global totalitarianism illustrated by, among other things, the wearing of masks imposed on the population. and of course compulsory vaccination of the population.
In a speech in 2022, he compared vaccination to the actions of a totalitarian regime and suggested that Anne Frank was in a better situation when she and her family were hiding from the Nazis.
Monsanto bomber
Trying to reassure, the eccentric member of the Kennedy dynasty, however, recently maintained in interviews that he “would not take away anyone's vaccines”. While adding that he would ensure that “Americans are well informed” on the issue.
A colorful character, addicted to heroin in his youth, he 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.
The announcement of his possible participation in the government had from the start aroused the concern of some.
But the respected former environmental lawyer, who litigated against Monsanto over the herbicide Roundup and fought against the construction of an oil pipeline, also has some good ideas, including taking on pesticides and obesity problem, experts pointed out.
In 2018, he was one of the lawyers for Dewayne Lee Johnson, a man with cancer who attacked Monsanto for hiding the dangerous effects of glyphosate, and to whom the firm was ordered to pay $289 million.
“Make America Healthy again”
Kennedy and Trump are promoting a new movement called MAHA, “Make America Healthy again”, a slogan modeled on the Republican's famous MAGA (“Make America Great again”).
The goal: to “transform” food, air, water, soil or even “the medicines of our country”, he proclaims in a video, in his voice which a neurological illness has made quavering. .
“Our big priority will be to clean up public health agencies”, those in charge of health recommendations (CDC), research (NIH), drugs (FDA), but also the US Department of Agriculture, adds -he.
Donald Trump, who loves fast food, also tasked him with supervising food. We must “put an end to the epidemic of chronic diseases”, particularly obesity, insists Robert Kennedy Jr., also a fan of unpasteurized milk so feared by health agencies.
In a list of envisaged measures, published in September, he cites the reduction in the price of anti-diabetes drugs like Ozempic, also a pet of left-wing senator Bernie Sanders. Or the idea of preventing food stamps from being used to buy sodas or processed foods.
Fluoride and abortion
The man nicknamed “Bobby” also caused controversy by saying he wanted to recommend stopping the addition of fluoride to running water, a measure intended to prevent cavities, which the CDC considers one of the ten greatest health success stories of the 20th century.
During the campaign, Donald Trump finally declared that he would be responsible for “women’s health”
On this issue, “RFK” had contradictory positions. He recently defended the idea that women should be able to abort their entire pregnancy, not trusting “the government” to exercise power “over bodies.”
He then returned to these statements, coming out in favor of a ban from the viability of the fetus (around 24 weeks). That is to say the limit set for 50 years before the American Supreme Court, profoundly overhauled by Donald Trump, gives states the freedom to legislate on the issue in 2022.
