Robert F Kennedy Jr: Who is Donald Trump's health chief?
A vaccine sceptic and nephew of JFK, Mr Kennedy is Donald Trump's new health secretary. Here's how he gained fame in the coronavirus pandemic and what he says about fluoride.
Thursday 13 February 2025 16:47, UK
Vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr, who unsuccessfully stood as a presidential candidate in 2024, has been confirmed as America's new health secretary.
The nephew of assassinated President John F Kennedy, Mr Kennedy dropped out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump, who ultimately won and will return to the White House.
In return for his support, Mr Trump pledged to give him a role were he to win the election and there was quickly speculation that he could be handed responsibility for health initiatives.
And sure enough, Mr Kennedy, 71, will be the president-elect's health and human services secretary, after passing a confirmation vote in the Senate.
The vote went largely along party lines, with 52 senators backing his appointment, and 48 opposed. All Republicans backed his confirmation, apart from Mitch McConnell.
There are still concerns in some quarters about the kind of policies he could adopt as health chief.
In an interview with NBC after Mr Trump's victory, Mr Kennedy claimed fluoride in drinking water was "lowering IQ in our children" and "causing bone cancer".
"I think fluoride is on its way out. I think the faster that it goes out the better," he said.
Who is RFK Jr?
The son of Robert F Kennedy, who was himself assassinated in 1968 during his own run for president, Mr Kennedy made a name for himself as a vaccine sceptic during the pandemic.
But he has a history of repeating debunked claims, including linking vaccines with autism in children.
At an event in January 2022, he compared the US' vaccine mandates to Nazi laws.
Asked whether banning certain vaccines could be on the cards during a second term, Mr Trump said he would talk to Mr Kennedy about it and called him "a very talented guy" who has "strong views".
Asked by NBC whether he would take vaccines off the market, Mr Kennedy said he was "not gonna take away anybody's vaccines".
"I've never been anti-vaccine," he claimed. "If vaccines are working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away.
"People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information, so I'm going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy studies are out there and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them."
He said in a speech that, while he was a "ferocious critic" of Mr Trump, they had found common ground over a desire to end the war in Ukraine.
But his family criticised him for lending his support to Mr Trump, calling it a "betrayal" of the family's values and describing it as "a sad ending to a sad story".
Mr Kennedy's campaign was not without its controversy after he admitted abandoning a dead bear cub in Central Park.
Speaking during a Trump campaign event, Mr Kennedy also admitted he was being investigated for cutting off the head of a dead whale with a chainsaw 30 years ago.
In a 2012 interview which later emerged, Mr Kennedy said the cognitive issues he had been experiencing were "caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died".
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Paste BN app for free
In July, Mr Kennedy's son Bobby Kennedy III posted footage of his father speaking with Mr Trump on the phone.
During the call, the Republican candidate told Mr Kennedy: "I would love you to do something - and I think it would be so good for you and so big for you."
The 70-year-old later apologised for the leak, which appeared to reference a role for Mr Kennedy in Mr Trump's administration.