The president-elect has announced that he has chosen (RFK Jr.), an anti-vaccinationist who has embraced various conspiracy theories, for his post and Human Services (HHS).
RFK Jr. ran for the US presidency as an independent before finally dropping out of the race in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the government if the Republican tycoon wins.
“The safety and health of all Americans is paramount to any administration, and HHS will play an important role in ensuring that everyone is protected from the harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and food additives that have contributed to the enormous health crisis in this country,” Trump assured in a post on his Truth Social platform, denouncing attempts to deceive and misinform about public health issues.
He was spreading covid conspiracy theories
Son of former Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, and nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, RFK Jr. has been criticized for spreading conspiracy theories in particular about Covid-19 vaccines – that is, those that were developed in record time during Trump’s previous tenure in the White House to deal with the pandemic.
Heroin addiction and the worm in the brain
Kennedy, who was addicted to heroin in his youth, has also spoken about his desire to help address addiction in the United States.
“We are now seeing an epidemic of addiction, of alcoholism,” he told the Daily Mail last year. “But also an epidemic of loneliness, despair, alienation and isolation.”
During his presidential campaign, stories from his personal life often dominated the media, overshadowing any proposals he made. His admission that he suffered from a “brain worm” and his story of dumping a dead bear in New York’s Central Park and his admission that he staged the carcass and made it look like it had been killed in a car accident as a prank made headlines for days.
In fact, there were pictures of him eating what appeared to be a grilled dog in Korea. He denied that it was dog meat, saying instead that it was goat meat.
Conviction for the choice
Democrats were quick to condemn the choice, with Senator Patti Murray calling it “disastrous” and Kennedy “an extreme conspiracy theorist.”
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she found some of Kennedy’s statements “disturbing,” but stressed that she would give him a fair hearing during his confirmation process.
