'He wants to make America healthy again': Trump nominates Kennedy as health secretary

The new US president is once again causing a stir with a personal decision: Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy as Secretary of Health. The 70-year-old lawyer will declare war on the food and pharmaceutical industries at the helm of the department, Trump wrote in a statement. Kennedy is also expected to protect the American population from "harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and food additives." »id-doc-1icm7iq3a1″

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> Kennedy is the scion of one of America's most famous political families. His uncle John F. was a U.S. president and was assassinated in 1963. His uncle Ted represented the state of Massachusetts in the Senate from 1962 to 2009. And his father, Robert, was attorney general and senator from New York in the 1960s; when he ran for president in 1968, he was killed by an assassin in Los Angeles. »id-doc-1icm8imqu0″

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is-new-line-child=> Kennedy himself has shied away from high politics for many years, though according to family tradition he is close to the Democratic Party. It was only last year, after a long career as a lawyer, environmental activist and vaccine skeptic, that he changed his mind. In April 2023, he announced that he would challenge incumbent President Joe Biden. »id-doc-1icm97tjn0″

> At first, the candidacy received a positive response. It probably also had something to do with the last name, which brings back memories of better times for many Democrats. Or that Kennedy is revered among activists for his legal and political victories in the fight against polluters. »id-doc-1icm9j84f0″

> But it quickly became clear that the party apparatus would protect Biden and make life difficult for Kennedy. The presidential candidate has also not emerged as a fervent campaigner — which may also be because he still speaks with a strained voice due to a neurological condition. »id-doc-1icm9n0mo0″

> Kennedy therefore left the Democratic camp. At first, he tried his luck as an independent candidate for the presidency. When that didn't work out either, he decided at the end of the summer to support Donald Trump's candidacy. »id-doc-1icm9r0ku0″

> Trump is the best candidate to end alleged corruption in the Department of Health and Human Services and its associated regulators, Kennedy said in late August. Trump will also work to ensure that Americans can finally live healthy lives again. His motto: “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, is a variation of Trump’s motto “Make America Great Again” (MAGA). »id-doc-1icmg1bk71″

> Trump, 78 and a longtime Kennedy acquaintance, was enthusiastic about his prominent supporter. (Even though Trump isn’t exactly known for eating healthily.) Trump said: If he wins the election and returns to Washington, Kennedy will be allowed to “blow off steam” on health policy. »id-doc-1icmag8570″

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is-new-line-child=> However, it is not that far away yet. Unless Trump uses a parliamentary maneuver to take a shortcut, Kennedy will first have to face an appeal in the Senate. »id-doc-1icm7m1lm0″

> If there were to be a hearing, Kennedy would certainly have to defend himself from the controversial statements he has made in recent years. He has made a name for himself as an opponent of vaccinations of all kinds, much to the chagrin of medical experts. They have long accused Kennedy of undermining trust in science. (Discussions with Kennedy about his sometimes abstruse theories are inconclusive. He likes to say, “I know so much about this stuff” that he couldn’t really have a conversation with “laypeople.”) »id-doc-1icmg27sd1″

> Because of these positions, Kennedy—famous last name or not—is considered a pariah among Washington Democrats. Nor can you help his announcement that he wants to radically cut the bureaucracy in health policy. The Department of Health and Human Services employs more than 80,000 people. Days before the election, Kennedy announced that the FDA would join him in a massive restructuring. “If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you. First, keep all the paperwork. And second: Pack your bags.” id-doc-1icmc96180″

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is-new-line-child=> Even in Washington, Democrats are quick to talk about Kennedy's health policy ideas. So it's alarming how poorly many people (must) eat. Many Americans are in poor health. According to The Lancet, three-quarters of all adults are overweight or morbidly obese. »id-doc-1icmchc960″

> But it is precisely Republicans who have resisted government demands in the past who could change the game. For example, what remains in the memory is the controversy stirred up by then-first lady Michelle Obama when she wanted to improve the quality of school lunches. »id-doc-1icmhvi0i1″

Republicans are already embarrassed by Kennedy’s pro-abortion nature. The minister-designate’s critical statements about Big Pharma and multinational food companies have not met with universal approval either. So far, Trump doesn’t seem to mind. The new president said of Kennedy on election night: “He wants to make America healthy again.” He’ll let him do it as long as he doesn’t get involved in energy policy. He told “Bobby,” as Kennedy is known, “Leave me the oil.” »Article»