Will a “Radical Left Lunatic” Actually “Go Wild” on Health?

One of the more colorful nominations the U.S. president-elect has made is certainly, from our perspective, Robert F. Kennedy Jr for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Described by Donald Trump as a “radical left lunatic” earlier this year, Kennedy is now getting the nod from Trump to “go wild on health and dramatically shake things up.”

For people like ourselves with an intense interest in health policy, this choice looms as one that could have serious consequences.

Reasons for Concern

Coming up with a list of reasons for concerns about this nomination is easy. The president-elect seems to think putting Kennedy in charge of HHS might be good for a few laughs. But his earlier characterization of RFK as having dangerous fringe ideas still resonates. This is a nominee who spins out quite a few ideas about health that don’t hold up well with careful consideration of facts.

His opposition to fluoride in water offers an example. This naturally-occurring mineral strengthens teeth and, at appropriate levels, can promote better dental health across the population. But RFK emphasizes risks associated only with high levels, calling fluoride “a dangerous neurotoxin” and blurring distinctions between healthy and excessive exposures.

Likewise, he dispenses large doses of fear with regard to food and vaccines. He has called the president-elect’s dietary habits “poison” and says that better food is all we need to overcome obesity and diabetes:

“If we just gave good food, three meals a day, to every man, woman and child in our country, we could solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight.”

His radical views on vaccines have received the most attention, perhaps because they have contributed to skepticism that causes real harm. Promoting ignorance about the value of vaccines at a time when we may face another pandemic is a genuine threat to public health.

Reasons to Shrug

On the other hand, it is not even clear that RFK will make it through confirmation. His “radical” anti-business views do not sit well with Republican senators whose votes will be necessary to confirm his nomination. If confirmed, though Trump has said he wants Kennedy to “go wild” on health, it’s not clear how much or for how long he will allow it.

Recall that Trump ran through five different heads of HHS in his prior four years as president. We also note that he recently put Kennedy through a “humiliation ritual” with a photo op involving fast food.

So it is very possible that RFK Jr as HHS secretary might never happen or be just a brief flicker in four fiery years of the coming presidency.

Click here, here, and here for more perspective on RFK’s health claims and how they misalign with health science.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, photograph by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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December 1, 2024