Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that 'people will die' if 'dangerous' anti-vaccine campaigner and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads America's top health agency.
Donald Trump tapped Kennedy, a scion of the famous political family who is popularly known as RFK Jr, to be his health secretary Thursday night, with the pair vowing to work to 'Make America Healthy Again.'
Kennedy, 70, has promised to work to end chronic disease, clean up corruption and provide Americans with the data they need to make informed medical decisions.
But de Blasio, who served as NYC mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, has warned that giving a vaccine-denier 'authority over the public health apparatus' will result in lost lives, especially if the US were to face another public health 'crisis'.
'It is dangerous,' he told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins. 'I mean that's the only way to say it. People will die! I wish I was just being hyperbolic. I'm being literal!
'People will die because somebody is holding that role who does not believe in vaccination. That is just plain dangerous. That's not partisan, that's dangerous.'
If his nomination is approved by the Senate - which Trump's Republican Party controls - Kennedy will take over the Health and Human Services Department, a mammoth institution with a budget of close to $2trillion.
However, Trump's selection could meet opposition from lawmakers due to Kennedy's promotion of medical conspiracy theories, including spreading debunked theories that link vaccinations with childhood autism.
Donald Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a scion of the famous political family who is popularly known as RFK Jr, to be his health secretary Thursday night. Kennedy is pictured taking a selfie at the American First Policy Institute (AFPI) gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday night
But former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, pictured in 2020, has warned that 'people will die' if the 'dangerous' anti-vaccine campaigner and conspiracy theorist leads America's top health agency
Trump praised RFK Jr during an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday evening, where he formally announced the nomination.
'People like you Bobby,' he told Kennedy, before warning: 'Don't get too popular, Bobby.'
He continued: 'We want you to come up with things and ideas and what you've been talking about for a long time and I think you're going to do some unbelievable things.'
RFK Jr has said he wants to impose stricter regulations on ultra processed foods, has spoken out against fast food chains, cara bermain di sensa138 and has vowed to remove fluoride from America's drinking water because he believes it lowers children's IQs.
He has also been criticized for making false medical claims, including that vaccines are linked to autism. He opposed state and federal restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and was accused of spreading misinformation about the virus.
Trump has said he wanted Kennedy to 'go wild' in changing America's health care and in a statement Thursday explaining his nomination, echoed many of the campaigner's talking points, saying 'Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation.'
But experts are now cautioning against Kennedy's nomination, alleging that giving a vaccine-denier authority could be catastrophic in the event of a public health crisis.
Trump has said he wanted Kennedy to 'go wild' in changing America's health care. The pair are pictured together at a Turning Point Action campaign rally on October 23, 2024 in Georgia
'It is dangerous,' Bill de Blasio told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins Thursday night. 'I mean that's the only way to say it. People will die! I wish I was just being hyperbolic. I'm being literal! 'People will die because somebody is holding that role who does not believe in vaccination. That is just plain dangerous. That's not partisan, that's dangerous'
Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) called Kennedy's nomination 'f****** insane' and issued a similar stark warning on X: 'He's a vaccine denier and a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist.
'He will destroy our public health infrastructure and our vaccine distribution systems. This is going to cost lives.'
Alastair McAlpine, a pediatric physician at a children's hospital in British Columbia, slammed Kennedy and claimed the 'last time he meddled in a state's medical affairs (Samoa), 83 children died of measles'.
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'It is hard to overstate what a terrible decision this is. RFK Jr has no medical training. He is a hardcore anti-vaccine and misinformation peddler,' McAlpine tweeted.
Apu Akkad, an infectious disease physician at the University of Southern California, the nomination a 'scary day for public health'.
Despite Trump hailing Kennedy as being well-liked, Republican strategist Mike Murphy told BBC Radio 4's Today program that 'most of the serious people around health policy - behind closed doors in both parties - think he's barking mad'.
In addition for criticisms over his anti-vaccine stance, RFK Jr is also burdened by a string of colorful and even bizarre stories from his personal life, including his statement that a parasitic worm once entered his 'brain and ate a portion of it and then died.'
An admission this year that he was behind the long unsolved mystery of a dead bear dumped in New York's Central Park a decade ago raised eyebrows.
Experts are cautioning against Kennedy's nomination, alleging that giving a vaccine-denier authority could be catastrophic in the event of a public health crisis
Kennedy disputes the anti-vaccine tag, saying he wants more rigorous testing of vaccines instead. However, he chaired the Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit organization that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging.
In an interview in March, when he was still running for president, Kennedy said Americans who want a vaccine for themselves or their children would continue to have access to them if he were to be elected. But he said he doubted the efficacy of measles vaccines.
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RFK Jr. issues stinging criticism of Trump as their differences are laid bare
Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. It requires 95 per cent vaccine coverage to prevent outbreaks among populations.
US coverage rates have fallen below that level among young children, the CDC said this month.
Vaccines have saved over 154 million lives in the 20th century - the equivalent of six lives every minute of every year for the past 50 years, said Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota.
'Immunization has continued to be the single greatest contributor of any health intervention to ensuring that babies not only see their first birthdays, but they continue leading healthy lives into adulthood,' he said.
Shares of vaccine makers including Pfizer Inc and Moderna fell after news of Kennedy's appointment and were down in after-hours trading by as much as 2 per cent.
Robert F. Kennedy, spotted at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night with wife and actress Cheryl Hines, who has seemingly patched things up with the health and human services nominee after rumors of a 'digital affair' with journalist Olivia Nuzzi
Kennedy exchanged pleasantries with Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger, who is standing by her man as he faces resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct
Kennedy ran for president in this year's election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican's administration.
He has frequently talked about tackling what he calls the 'chronic disease epidemic' of conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism, and reducing chemicals in food.
'The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,' Trump said in a post on social media.
Read More
Trump issues five-word warning to ripped RFK Jr. and proposes starting term early at Mar-a-Lago bash
Later on Thursday during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Trump praised Kennedy, saying he would do 'unbelievable' things in his new position.
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees drug regulation, public health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health insurance for more than 140 million people including the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled through Medicare and Medicaid.
HHS had a $3.09trillion budget for fiscal year 2024, representing 22.8 per cent of the US federal budget.
Drew Altman, president of health research firm KFF, described the move as historic and said what Kennedy, if confirmed, would ultimately do in the role remains to be seen, given he has not often discussed programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which account for much of the US health budget.
'Historically, secretaries have been people with real experience and standing in national healthcare and he certainly is not that, and has views from outside the mainstream, and is a renegade appointment,' Altman said.
The appointment, which had been seen as a possibility for weeks, raised concern among some public health advocates who said Kennedy could have a negative role in Americans' health given his power over these agencies. The Democratic Party decried the decision.
Some politicians and business groups supported the nomination, such as the National Community Pharmacists Association, which said it was encouraged by his willingness to take on corporations.
One of the more star-studded tables at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night included Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Cheryl Hines and Department of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, who Trump also praised as being part of their effort to bring 'common sense' to the campaign
Gabbard and Kennedy are both nominees for Trump's cabinet, with the former Democrat Congresswoman tapped to serve as Director of National Intelligence
Kennedy has been a part of Trump's transition team and has been reviewing candidate resumes for the top jobs at US health agencies.
He has suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - which ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices - and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health.
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'FDA's war on public health is about to end,' he wrote on X in late October, adding that includes its 'aggressive suppression' of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, sunshine, and other items.
'If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags,' he wrote.
In early November, he said he would recommend fluoride be removed from public water supplies, falsely claiming on X that the chemical is associated with bone fractures and cancer.
In a New York Times opinion article published in September, Kennedy criticized the popular Novo Nordisk weight loss drug Ozempic, saying, 'Instead of fixing our food system and addressing the obesity crisis at its root, the author focuses on a drug that may palliate the symptom - and gladden the wallets of distant Big Pharma execs.'
Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator and dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said: 'Most people don't realize this is not about fluoride in water, or even vaccines, as important as they are. The HHS Secretary oversees Medicare. He and his appointees will decide what medicines are available to the American people.'
James Capretta, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former White House staffer under George W. Bush, said it is not clear what impact Kennedy will have but that it will not be immediate.
'There's lots of constraints on policy making on the agency level, even at the secretarial level,' he said.
Bill de BlasioRFK Jr.US Elections 2024
Donald Trump tapped Kennedy, a scion of the famous political family who is popularly known as RFK Jr, to be his health secretary Thursday night, with the pair vowing to work to 'Make America Healthy Again.'Kennedy, 70, has promised to work to end chronic disease, clean up corruption and provide Americans with the data they need to make informed medical decisions.
But de Blasio, who served as NYC mayor during the COVID-19 pandemic, has warned that giving a vaccine-denier 'authority over the public health apparatus' will result in lost lives, especially if the US were to face another public health 'crisis'.
'It is dangerous,' he told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins. 'I mean that's the only way to say it. People will die! I wish I was just being hyperbolic. I'm being literal!
'People will die because somebody is holding that role who does not believe in vaccination. That is just plain dangerous. That's not partisan, that's dangerous.'
If his nomination is approved by the Senate - which Trump's Republican Party controls - Kennedy will take over the Health and Human Services Department, a mammoth institution with a budget of close to $2trillion.
However, Trump's selection could meet opposition from lawmakers due to Kennedy's promotion of medical conspiracy theories, including spreading debunked theories that link vaccinations with childhood autism.
Donald Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a scion of the famous political family who is popularly known as RFK Jr, to be his health secretary Thursday night. Kennedy is pictured taking a selfie at the American First Policy Institute (AFPI) gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday night
But former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, pictured in 2020, has warned that 'people will die' if the 'dangerous' anti-vaccine campaigner and conspiracy theorist leads America's top health agency
Trump praised RFK Jr during an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday evening, where he formally announced the nomination.
'People like you Bobby,' he told Kennedy, before warning: 'Don't get too popular, Bobby.'
He continued: 'We want you to come up with things and ideas and what you've been talking about for a long time and I think you're going to do some unbelievable things.'
RFK Jr has said he wants to impose stricter regulations on ultra processed foods, has spoken out against fast food chains, cara bermain di sensa138 and has vowed to remove fluoride from America's drinking water because he believes it lowers children's IQs.
He has also been criticized for making false medical claims, including that vaccines are linked to autism. He opposed state and federal restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and was accused of spreading misinformation about the virus.
Trump has said he wanted Kennedy to 'go wild' in changing America's health care and in a statement Thursday explaining his nomination, echoed many of the campaigner's talking points, saying 'Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation.'
But experts are now cautioning against Kennedy's nomination, alleging that giving a vaccine-denier authority could be catastrophic in the event of a public health crisis.
Trump has said he wanted Kennedy to 'go wild' in changing America's health care. The pair are pictured together at a Turning Point Action campaign rally on October 23, 2024 in Georgia
'It is dangerous,' Bill de Blasio told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins Thursday night. 'I mean that's the only way to say it. People will die! I wish I was just being hyperbolic. I'm being literal! 'People will die because somebody is holding that role who does not believe in vaccination. That is just plain dangerous. That's not partisan, that's dangerous'
Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) called Kennedy's nomination 'f****** insane' and issued a similar stark warning on X: 'He's a vaccine denier and a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist.
'He will destroy our public health infrastructure and our vaccine distribution systems. This is going to cost lives.'
Alastair McAlpine, a pediatric physician at a children's hospital in British Columbia, slammed Kennedy and claimed the 'last time he meddled in a state's medical affairs (Samoa), 83 children died of measles'.
Read More
Who are Donald Trump's cabinet picks? Meet the confidants and advisers heading to the White House
'It is hard to overstate what a terrible decision this is. RFK Jr has no medical training. He is a hardcore anti-vaccine and misinformation peddler,' McAlpine tweeted.
Apu Akkad, an infectious disease physician at the University of Southern California, the nomination a 'scary day for public health'.
Despite Trump hailing Kennedy as being well-liked, Republican strategist Mike Murphy told BBC Radio 4's Today program that 'most of the serious people around health policy - behind closed doors in both parties - think he's barking mad'.
In addition for criticisms over his anti-vaccine stance, RFK Jr is also burdened by a string of colorful and even bizarre stories from his personal life, including his statement that a parasitic worm once entered his 'brain and ate a portion of it and then died.'
An admission this year that he was behind the long unsolved mystery of a dead bear dumped in New York's Central Park a decade ago raised eyebrows.
Experts are cautioning against Kennedy's nomination, alleging that giving a vaccine-denier authority could be catastrophic in the event of a public health crisis
Kennedy disputes the anti-vaccine tag, saying he wants more rigorous testing of vaccines instead. However, he chaired the Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit organization that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging.
In an interview in March, when he was still running for president, Kennedy said Americans who want a vaccine for themselves or their children would continue to have access to them if he were to be elected. But he said he doubted the efficacy of measles vaccines.
Read More
RFK Jr. issues stinging criticism of Trump as their differences are laid bare
Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. It requires 95 per cent vaccine coverage to prevent outbreaks among populations.
US coverage rates have fallen below that level among young children, the CDC said this month.
Vaccines have saved over 154 million lives in the 20th century - the equivalent of six lives every minute of every year for the past 50 years, said Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert from the University of Minnesota.
'Immunization has continued to be the single greatest contributor of any health intervention to ensuring that babies not only see their first birthdays, but they continue leading healthy lives into adulthood,' he said.
Shares of vaccine makers including Pfizer Inc and Moderna fell after news of Kennedy's appointment and were down in after-hours trading by as much as 2 per cent.
Robert F. Kennedy, spotted at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night with wife and actress Cheryl Hines, who has seemingly patched things up with the health and human services nominee after rumors of a 'digital affair' with journalist Olivia Nuzzi
Kennedy exchanged pleasantries with Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger, who is standing by her man as he faces resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct
Kennedy ran for president in this year's election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican's administration.
He has frequently talked about tackling what he calls the 'chronic disease epidemic' of conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism, and reducing chemicals in food.
'The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,' Trump said in a post on social media.
Read More
Trump issues five-word warning to ripped RFK Jr. and proposes starting term early at Mar-a-Lago bash
Later on Thursday during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Trump praised Kennedy, saying he would do 'unbelievable' things in his new position.
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees drug regulation, public health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health insurance for more than 140 million people including the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled through Medicare and Medicaid.
HHS had a $3.09trillion budget for fiscal year 2024, representing 22.8 per cent of the US federal budget.
Drew Altman, president of health research firm KFF, described the move as historic and said what Kennedy, if confirmed, would ultimately do in the role remains to be seen, given he has not often discussed programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which account for much of the US health budget.
'Historically, secretaries have been people with real experience and standing in national healthcare and he certainly is not that, and has views from outside the mainstream, and is a renegade appointment,' Altman said.
The appointment, which had been seen as a possibility for weeks, raised concern among some public health advocates who said Kennedy could have a negative role in Americans' health given his power over these agencies. The Democratic Party decried the decision.
Some politicians and business groups supported the nomination, such as the National Community Pharmacists Association, which said it was encouraged by his willingness to take on corporations.
One of the more star-studded tables at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night included Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Cheryl Hines and Department of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, who Trump also praised as being part of their effort to bring 'common sense' to the campaign
Gabbard and Kennedy are both nominees for Trump's cabinet, with the former Democrat Congresswoman tapped to serve as Director of National Intelligence
Kennedy has been a part of Trump's transition team and has been reviewing candidate resumes for the top jobs at US health agencies.
He has suggested he would gut the 18,000-employee Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - which ensures the safety of food, drugs and medical devices - and replace hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health.
Read More
EXCLUSIVE
RFK Jr's 'mistress' Olivia Nuzzi makes dramatic court U-turn as ex accuses her of 'lying'
'FDA's war on public health is about to end,' he wrote on X in late October, adding that includes its 'aggressive suppression' of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, sunshine, and other items.
'If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags,' he wrote.
In early November, he said he would recommend fluoride be removed from public water supplies, falsely claiming on X that the chemical is associated with bone fractures and cancer.
In a New York Times opinion article published in September, Kennedy criticized the popular Novo Nordisk weight loss drug Ozempic, saying, 'Instead of fixing our food system and addressing the obesity crisis at its root, the author focuses on a drug that may palliate the symptom - and gladden the wallets of distant Big Pharma execs.'
Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator and dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said: 'Most people don't realize this is not about fluoride in water, or even vaccines, as important as they are. The HHS Secretary oversees Medicare. He and his appointees will decide what medicines are available to the American people.'
James Capretta, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former White House staffer under George W. Bush, said it is not clear what impact Kennedy will have but that it will not be immediate.
'There's lots of constraints on policy making on the agency level, even at the secretarial level,' he said.
Bill de BlasioRFK Jr.US Elections 2024