President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate, to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This department oversees major health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
"I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary 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 said in his announcement.
"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. Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!" Trump added.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has consistently questioned the safety of vaccines, including COVID-19 and childhood immunizations. In a 2023 podcast, the 70-year-old said, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” He reiterated to Fox News his belief in the discredited theory linking vaccines to autism. In 2021, he publicly encouraged parents to “resist” CDC vaccination guidelines for children
“I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated,” Kennedy said.
Therefore, following Trump's announcement, social media was flooded with "polio" and "measles" memes.
polio hearing the news that RFK Jr. is the Secretary of HHS https://t.co/ecdmTNyAf2pic.twitter.com/TuKPhAfUVG
— Electron! (@ElectronTheNerd) November 14, 2024
Polio: https://t.co/Sp5qoev40vpic.twitter.com/ckTm8l3YBz
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) November 14, 2024
Measles, mumps, polio and everything else seeing RFK Jr. taking over HHS like… pic.twitter.com/UoKwWrRvUx
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) November 14, 2024
Polio…. pic.twitter.com/VFWGt96Be7
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) November 14, 2024
Measles: pic.twitter.com/R8J0FA6cbG
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) November 14, 2024
Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opposes most vaccines, he claims he is not "anti-vaccine" and insists he has never advised the public to avoid vaccination.
When asked by MSNBC if he would remove any vaccines from the market, he said, "I'm not going to take away anybody's vaccines. I've never been anti-vaccine."
"If vaccines are working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away," he said, adding that "people ought to have choice and ought to be informed by the best information, so I'm going to make sure that scientific safety studies and efficacies are out there and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them."