Kamala Harris had a one-word response to Donald Trump ‘s plan to have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversee ‘women’s health’ if elected. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), she simply posted, “No,” followed by a red heart emoji. The Vice President’s reaction came after Trump spoke at a Nevada rally on Thursday, addressing his supporters with a pledge to place Kennedy in charge of health matters, The New Republic reported.
No. ❤️ https://t.co/mHXJZ0Jba5
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 1, 2024
Trump told the crowd, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr…he’s going to work on health and women’s health…because we are not really a wealthy— or a healthy country.” The former president said something similar at his massive rally at Madison Square Garden last Sunday. “I am going to let him go wild on health. I am going to let him go wild on the food. I am going to let him go wild on medicines.”
Trump on Robert F. Kennedy Jr : “I’m gonna let him go wild on health. I’m gonna let him go wild on the foods. I’m gonna let him go wild on the medicines.” RFK Jr is an anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist. A Trump win will be an absolute catastrophe for public health. pic.twitter.com/j8jDDD2qMV
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) October 28, 2024
Last week, Kennedy claimed that Trump had promised him authority over a range of health-related government agencies, including “HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH, and a few others” as well as the USDA which “is key to making America healthy,” The Washington Post reported. Additionally, he stated that this plan would enable him to push for changes in American health practices, including a shift away from ‘pesticide-intensive agriculture’ and the removal of ‘seed oils’ from the national diet.
Robert Kennedy Jr. says former President Trump has promised him control of the public health agencies. According to him, that includes but is not limited to: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Food and Drug… pic.twitter.com/Y8blzGw3eI
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 29, 2024
Despite Kennedy’s confidence, the Trump campaign has reportedly described his claims as ‘premature.’ Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, dismissed the notion during a Wednesday interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “He’s not getting a job for HHS,” Lutnick stated, responding to Collins’ concerns regarding Kennedy’s history of promoting widely debunked conspiracy theories connecting vaccines to childhood autism.
🎥In 2023, Robert F Kennedy Jr. claimed that COVID-19 was genetically engineered to spare “Jews and Chinese people”. (2023) pic.twitter.com/MLa4lM80sb
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) August 26, 2024
Kennedy’s alliance with Trump comes after he ended his independent presidential campaign in August, choosing to endorse the GOP nominee instead. Before suspending his campaign, the 70-year-old Kennedy reportedly expressed support for restricting abortion access at ‘fetal viability.’ Additionally, in the past, he also opposed the COVID-19 vaccine and promoted misinformation about its safety with his organization, Children’s Health Defense. In his book, The Real Anthony Fauci , Kennedy also alleged that Dr. Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates exaggerated the pandemic’s impact.
Meta deactivated his Instagram account in 2021 after he spread conspiracy theories, claiming that COVID-19 vaccines caused autism in children and affected ‘Caucasians and Black people’ more as compared to “Ashkenazi Jews and [Chinese people]” who he claimed were more resistant. The Anti-Defamation League condemned these statements, warning of the potential implications of the said remarks.
Kennedy’s record on women’s issues is also controversial. He has been described as a compulsive womanizer, a factor some suggest may have contributed to the 2012 suicide of his second wife, Mary Richardson. Allegations also surfaced that he had an affair with journalist Olivia Nuzzi, which reportedly led to her departure from the New York Magazine.