President-elect Donald Trump has announced he will nominate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“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,” Trump posted. “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.”
As HHS leader, Kennedy would control the FDA, which regulates vaping, nicotine and tobacco products through its Center for Tobacco Products.
Kennedy’s stance on vaping, nicotine and tobacco harm reduction (THR) is unknown. During the presidential campaign, Trump promised that, if elected, he (Trump) would “save vaping.”
“I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking,” Trump said in September on his Truth Social platform. “I raised the age to 21, keeping it away from the ‘kids.’ Kamala and Joe want everything banned, killing small businesses all over the Country. I’ll save Vaping again!”
As HHS Secretary, Kennedy, if confirmed by the Senate, would also oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes for Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which manages most of the country’s public healthcare programs. HHS has a budget of over $1 trillion.
“He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him get to it,” Trump said in his election victory speech. “Go have a good time, Bobby.”
Kennedy, 70, is the son of former senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy—both Democratic Party icons. A longtime environmental activist and lawyer, Kennedy ran for President this year first as a Democrat and then as an independent, but dropped out and endorsed Trump in exchange for a promise he would have influence on health and agricultural policy in a second Trump administration.
Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild” on health policy, and Kennedy—best known for his belief that vaccines cause autism—has since indicated that the new Trump administration would oppose adding fluoride to drinking water, ban certain foods and food additives, and promote consumption of unpasteurized “raw” milk, which has been linked to e-coli.
In a normal political environment, it would be unthinkable for a Republican President to align with Kennedy, who can be accurately described as a nanny-state liberal. But Kennedy’s unorthodox beliefs—which include bizarre conspiracy theories—have been embraced by many hardcore Trump supporters, including Donald Trump Jr.
Kennedy will face Senate confirmation hearings sometime after Trump is sworn in as President in late January.
Jim McDonald
Vaping for: 13 years
Favorite products:
Favorite flavors: RY4-style tobaccos, fruits
Expertise in: Political and legal challenges, tobacco control haters, moral panics
Jim McDonald
Smokers created vaping for themselves without help from the tobacco industry or anti-tobacco crusaders, and I believe vapers and the vaping industry have the right to continue innovating to give everyone who wants to use nicotine access to safe and attractive non-combustible options. My goal is to provide clear, honest information about vaping and the challenges nicotine consumers face from lawmakers, regulators, and brokers of disinformation. You can find me on Twitter @whycherrywhy
