Trump picks RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist, for health and human services secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Trump, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)," he wrote. "For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health." 

Donald Trump Jr. also shared the news on X.

In a post on X, Kennedy said, "We have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic."

During his presidential campaign, Kennedy developed a national profile for his criticism of the Covid vaccines and childhood immunizations. He has claimed that vaccines are tied to autism, despite evidence conveyed through studies over decades that have disproven such a claim.

The appointment of Kennedy, 70, to lead HHS ends days of speculation about what health role — if any — the former independent presidential candidate-turned-Trump adviser would play in the incoming administration.

Within HHS is a family of health agencies that includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Kennedy has claimed Trump “promised” him “control of the public health agencies."

Apart from the HHS role, Kennedy was said to have been considered for a role in tackling obesity and diabetes in kids — known as “Operation Warp Speed for childhood chronic disease" — and Kennedy himself floated the idea of being a White House "health czar." Those roles wouldn't have given him the authority or influence that heading HHS would offer if he is confirmed.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, is known for his misleading and false claims about vaccines, including repeated assertions that vaccines are linked to autism, even though for decades numerous studies across several countries have debunked the association. He also founded Children’s Health Defense, a leading anti-vaccine group.

Other people said to have been considered for the role were Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and Trump's former secretary of housing and urban development, and former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who once led the state's Department of Health and Hospitals.

The position requires Senate confirmation.

In a statement following Trump's announcement, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician who is the ranking member on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, said, “RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure.” 

He continued, “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.” 

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement, “Trump’s health agenda isn’t a secret: worse health care at a higher cost for American families.” He said Kennedy's “outlandish views on basic scientific facts are disturbing and should worry all parents who expect schools and other public spaces to be safe for their children."

If Kennedy is confirmed, his role might spell a major shakeup for the federal health agencies, including the FDA, where he has threatened to eliminate entire departments and fire agency employees who wage "war on public health."

A former acting director of the CDC, Dr. Richard Besser, was stunned by the announcement.

“I’m speechless,” Besser said. “To have someone leading the Department of Health and Human Services who has been one of the biggest purveyors of misinformation about vaccines, one of the biggest purveyors of misinformation about public health in general, would imperil the health of people across the country.”

NBC News reported Thursday that some FDA staffers were considering quick exits should Kennedy be selected for a prominent health role.

Kennedy has also suggested that he would ban fluoride in drinking water, as well as strip ultra-processed foods from U.S. diets.

In the first administration, Trump tapped former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar for the top health agency role. Azar replaced the first Trump-appointed health secretary, Tom Price, who resigned over his use of private jets for government business, costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

CNBC reported that shares of vaccine makers fell Thursday on the reports that Kennedy could head the top health agency in the U.S.