Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been nominated as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Trump administration.
Prior to Trump’s announcement on Truth Social and X, Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who made a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2023-2024, had been rumored to take a leading health role in the upcoming administration.
Trump alluded to the goals of the agency, writing in his social media post, “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.”
After the announcement, Kennedy confirmed those ideas, sharing that as Secretary of Health and Human Services, he plans on tackling childhood obesity and diabetes in children by ridding the country of overly processed foods. For all Americans, he vowed to work with the “greatest minds” to end the “chronic disease epidemic.” He also wrote on social media that the administration plans on banning fluorine in drinking water
Kennedy is known to be active in public service. He founded the Waterkeeper Alliance, an advocacy group that protects clean water in the U.S. and around the world, being named TIME Magazine’s ‘Hero of the Planet’ in the 2000s. Kennedy is also known for his beliefs that vaccines cause autism in children and his founding of the Children’s Health Defense, a non-profit, anti-vax organization. Nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy, Kennedy is currently married to actress Cheryl Hines, best known for her role in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
