Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr.? Vaccine skeptic named to top health role in Trump administration

The former presidentwho will return to the White House in January 2025 after winning the support of more than 72 million voters, has suggested he has big plans for Mr Kennedy.

The president-elect previously stated that Mr. Kennedy (or RFK, as he is often called) would have “a major role in the administration,” but could not confirm what that role would be.

Trump also spoke at a rally before the election said he would let Mr. Kennedy “go wild on food” and “go wild on medicine.”

RFK later said: “We don’t know what I’m going to do. I talked to the president about it yesterday, and he asked me what I wanted, and I said, we’re developing a proposal now.”

Rumors swirled that Mr. Kennedy could be in line for a key position overseeing federal health care agencies after the former Democrat threw his support behind Trump’s campaign.

Kennedy had initially run as an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election earlier this year before suspending his campaign to support the president-elect in August.

Since news broke that he may be paid back for his support with a key appointment, RFK has sought to clarify his position on several key health topics, including his position on vaccines and fluoride in America’s drinking water.

He has played down claims that he is an anti-vaxxer, despite his record promote disinformation in the past.

Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr.?

Mr. Kennedy, the fourth member of his family line to run for president, is a best-selling author and environmental lawyer who has campaigned on issues such as clean drinking water.

In addition to his famous family members, Mr. Kennedy is known for his opposition to certain vaccinations and his unusual views on various health care topics — despite having no background in health care or science.

His opinions have been largely criticized by health care experts as being fueled by conspiracy theories.

He developed a reputation as a passionate advocate for the environment by fighting against the use of fossil fuels and standing up for indigenous people. For his achievements in cleaning up the polluted Hudson River, he was recognized as one of the Time magazine’s ‘heroes for the planet’.

Robert F Kennedy’s plans for American healthcare

At this point, it is unclear what position RFK might take in the incoming Trump administration – if any. But he has already made it clear that he has big plans for healthcare in the US.

Mr. Kennedy opposes fluoride in drinking water, previously telling NPR: “We don’t need fluoride in our water. It is a very bad way to process it in our systems.”

Trump said he had not yet spoken to Kennedy about the subject but suggested he was open to a discussion. He told NBC News: “It sounds good to me. You know it’s possible.”

Fluoride is a mineral often added to drinking water that helps strengthen people’s teeth and prevent bacteria that lead to tooth decay.

Higher levels of fluoride can pose a health risk, but most experts believe that small amounts are beneficial to people’s dental health.

In places where fluoride has been removed from water supplies, like in Canadaexperts have also noted an increase in serious tooth decay in children.

Mr. Kennedy has also previously suggested that he wanted to remove toxins and additives from American foods, ban pharmaceutical advertising and “prove” that vaccines are unsafe – a claim for which there is no scientific evidence.

Long before the Covid-19 pandemic, RFK was active in the vaccine-skeptical movement, and his beliefs have been criticized by public health experts and members of his own family.

On vaccinations, his niece Kerry Kennedy described his concerns about vaccines as “dangerously misguided” in 2020.

He has long pushed the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. He has also floated other conspiracy theories, such as that Covid-19 could have been “ethnically targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese, comments he later said were taken out of context.

Despite his background as an anti-vaxxer, Mr Kennedy has since said: “We’re not going to take vaccines away from anyone”.

He told MSNBC: “I’m going to make sure that there are scientific studies of safety and efficacy available, and that people can individually judge whether that product is going to be good for them.”

Who is Robert F Kennedy Jr. with? married?

Hines is best known for playing the role of Larry David’s wife, Cheryl Limit your enthusiasmfor which she has been nominated for two Emmy Awards. She also starred as Dallas Royce in the ABC sitcom Suburgatory and made her directorial debut in 2009 with the film Serious Moonlight.