NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced that he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and vaccine safety to food safety, medical research, and Medicare and Medicaid social security programs.
"For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in deception, misinformation, and misinformation when it comes to public health," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site announcing the appointment. Kennedy, he said, "Would make America great and healthy again!"
Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year's presidential race, dropped out of the race after reaching an agreement to endorse Trump with the promise of having a role in healthcare policy in the government.
Since then, he and Trump, who is the first criminal convict to be elected president, have become good friends, and Kennedy often receives strong applause at Trump's rallies.
The anticipated appointment was first reported by Politico on Thursday.
Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, is a lawyer who has built a loyal following over several decades, comprised of people who admire his lawsuits against major pharmaceutical and pesticide companies. He has pushed for tighter regulations on food ingredients.
During his campaign, Trump made an effort to gain the support of young mothers in particular, with his message of making food healthier in the United States, promising to emulate the standards imposed in Europe. In a nod to Trump's original campaign slogan, he called the initiative "Let's Make America Healthy Again."
It is not clear how this will fit with Trump's history of deregulating major industries, including the food industry. Trump pushed for fewer inspections of the meat industry, for example.
Kennedy’s stance on vaccines has also made him a controversial figure among Democrats and some Republicans, raising doubts about his ability to be confirmed, even in a Senate controlled by the Republican Party. Kennedy has spread misinformation about vaccine safety, including the completely discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism.