The red wave that swept America this election cycle could have major health implications as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office.
Trump, who won the contest against Vice President Kamala Harris, said last month that if elected, he would let Robert F Kennedy Jr play a 'big role’ in health in his administration and allow him to 'go wild.’
The vaccine skeptic and former environmental lawyer has spoken about cutting funding and resources to the FDA and voiced support for unproven medical treatments as part of his 'Make America Healthy Again’ campaign.
Some experts say his desire to remove chemicals and harmful additives from food could have a positive impact on America’s health.
But there are fears his lack of scientific or health policy training, as well as his tendency to promote debunked conspiracy theories like vaccines cause autism, make him ill-suited for the role.
Among his unfounded beliefs, Mr Kennedy has declared WiFi causes cancer, chemicals in water turn children transgender, AIDS is not caused by HIV, Covid was engineered to be 'ethnically targeted’ and there is 'no vaccine is safe.’
The Trump campaign shut down claims that Mr Kennedy would be appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services, a role needing the approval of the Senate.
But it is still possible he could be appointed as a senior White House health advisor.
President-elect Donald Trump is pictured above with Robert F Kennedy Jr at a rally in Arizona in August. The President elect has promised to give him a 'big role’ in the new administration
Revealing the potential appointment on X, RFK Jr said: 'He’s asked me to clean up the corruption, number one.
’Number two, end the conflicts of interest, return those agencies to their rich tradition of gold standard, empirically based, evidence-based science, evidence-based medicine, and to end the chronic disease epidemic in this country.’
Trump has said about Mr Kennedy: 'He’s going to have a big role in health care, a very big role. He knows it better than anybody.’
The President-elect added: 'He has some views I happen to agree with strongly and have for a long time.’
Trump has yet to engage in any public discussions over who will be in his cabinet.
Kamala Harris slammed the idea of appointing Mr Kennedy to a healthcare position, saying he was the 'exact last person in America who should be setting healthcare policy for America’s families and children.’
Dr Anthony Fauci, who led America’s Covid response, also previously slammed Mr Kennedy — saying in an interview in July: 'I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but it’s not good.’
After viewing a presentation by him, he said: 'We were walking out of the room at the [National Institutes of Health], I went over to and I said, „Bobby, I believe you care about children, and you care that you don’t want to hurt them.
'”But you got to realize that from a scientific standpoint, what you’re saying does not make sense.”’
Below, DailyMail.com breaks down what RFK Jr policies could look like:
His campaign against vaccines
Pundits have repeatedly raised concerns that RFK Jr may sow distrust in vaccines by using his platform to promote baseless conspiracy theories.
In 2019, he flew to Samoa during the nation’s measles outbreak to campaign for people not to get the vaccine — saying it would cause autism, a theory from a study that was withdrawn after serious flaws were found in its methodology.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr pictured above with his wife, actor Cheryl Hines
Robert F. Kennedy is pictured above. He says he plans to overhaul US food policy to combat obesity and additives in food
Eighty-three people died in the outbreak and 5,700 were sickened before the island nation’s government was forced to mandate the shots.
In 2021, the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, which Mr Kennedy is the chair of, campaigned vigorously against the Covid vaccines, targeting young parents with advertisements advising them not to get the shots.
Dr Paul Offit, a pediatrician in Philadelphia who previously slammed Mr Kennedy as 'remarkably dishonest,’ told DailyMail.com it was likely the administration would not be able to ban vaccines.
’I am confident that the guardrails in place at the FDA and CDC are long-standing and have served us well,’ he said.
’I am not sure how much RFK Jnr can do to destroy that.’
But experts are still expressing their concerns.
Dr Michael Osterholm, an infectious diseases expert and bird flu tracker at the University of Minnesota, told CNN: 'I can’t imagine anyone who would be more damaging to vaccines and the use of vaccines than RFK.’
Dr Genevieve Kanter, a public policy expert at the University of Southern California, told NBC10: 'By elevating his message, it normalizes people, parents, opting out of the vaccination schedule.
’I think we could reasonably predict that there would be a decline in vaccination rates among children, and perhaps vaccination overall.’
And Jerome Adams, who served as Trump’s top doctor, also raised concerns over the famous skeptic being handed the role.
But during an interview with NBC News following the election, Mr Kennedy sounded a different tune, saying he had no intention of banning vital shots.
’If vaccines are working for somebody, I am not going to take them away,’ he said.
’People ought to have a choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information, so I’m going to make sure that safety studies and efficacy studies are out there and people can make individual assumptions whether that product is going to be good for them.’
Many states mandate vaccines for children to allow them to attend school, including shots against measles, diphtheria, polio, hepatitis and chickenpox.
This is similar to European nations like Germany and France, which also mandate vaccinations for attending school, but differs from the UK — where all childhood vaccines are voluntary but widely recommended.
Cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough and a runny or blocked nose, are usually the first signal of measles
The above shows year-by-year cases of measles in the United States
Vaccination uptake in the US is now falling to dangerously low levels, with experts blaming the explosion in conspiracy theories.
CDC surveillance shows uptake of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, was below the optimum level for the third year in a row in the US — raising the risk of an outbreak because too few children have immunity.
Surveillance suggests that the uptake of other major childhood vaccines like polio has also slipped.
All the vaccines have been through large and rigorous clinical trials, which have shown the shots are safe and highly effective at preventing the diseases.
Before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, about four million Americans were sickened and 450 died from the virus every year. And before the polio vaccine became available in the 1950s, about 15,000 people were paralyzed by the virus every year.
A war on agriculture and food
US consumers have repeatedly raised concerns over the number of potentially harmful additives and pesticides added to their foods, substances that are often outlawed in Europe.
Health officials have also sounded the alarm over ultra-processed foods and America’s escalating obesity crisis, with 73 percent of adults now overweight or obese.
Mr Kennedy proposes to change all that with his radical policies aiming to ban pesticides, food additives, seed oils and some ultra-processed foods.
Details on which could be banned are not clear, although the idea formed a key plank of his 'Make America Healthy Again’ plan, which he said aimed to provide families 'with safe food and end the chronic disease epidemic plaguing our children’.
He has only explicitly mentioned Yellow 5, but similar ingredients that could be under the microscope are Red 40, Blue 1, titanium dioxide, propylparaben and potassium bromate, which are often added to sweets and baked goods.
The ingredients, which are either banned or heavily regulated in Europe, have been the focus of new laws trying to make food safer.
Democratic states like California, New York and Illinois have been spearheading efforts to ban these substances in the US at present.
California has a ban on four additives — brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No 3 — which is set to come into force in January 2027.
It is also possible he will look to tighten regulations around contaminants in food, such as lead and cadmium that can be detected in spices and dark chocolate and has been linked to neurodevelopmental problems.
California’s environmental attorney Vineet Dubey, who focuses on protecting consumers, said: 'While some of Mr Kennedy’s proposals will have a long, legal road ahead of them, he may be able to do something about cleaning up our food supply.
’The FDA moves at a glacial pace, in part because of funding constraints and in part because that’s the nature of bureaucracy.
’But if he really does something about getting toxic chemicals out of our food supply, then that’s a good thing.
’For example, it has been a year since nearly 600 kids in 44 states were hurt by insane amounts of lead that was intentionally put into WanaBana cinnamon applesauce. And what’s been done since to prevent that kind of contamination from happening again? Not a damn thing.’
Texas-based attorney Jamie Wright, who works in law around medicine, said: 'Mr Kennedy has expressed concerns about the presence of processed foods and the use of pesticides in food policy discussions.
’The indication is that he might focus on promoting foods and decreasing chemical usage.
’This potential shift… resonates with the increasing calls for openness and health-centric food choices.’
Trade groups and lobbyists are already voicing concerns over the measures, saying the additives are safe to use and could cause surging prices for consumers.
One lobbyist told Politico: 'All the agriculture groups are hearing from producers, and we are certainly expressing those concerns. We’re certainly concerned and watching closely.’
The American Farm Bureau Federation has already sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Agricultural committees voicing concerns over the alleged misinformation around pesticides.
His fight to eliminate fluoride in drinking water
Mr Kennedy has vowed to remove fluoride from the public water supply if elected within his first day in office.
Added to the water supply for three-quarters of Americans, it has been heralded as the greatest public health achievement of the 20th century for its ability to prevent cavities and tooth decay and save families thousands in dental bills.
But earlier this year, a federal study linked very high levels of the substance — more than are normally in tap water — to a drop in IQs of up to five points among children.
The team said they had 'moderate confidence’ in their findings, and added that it just showed an association but did not prove that fluoride was causing lower IQ.
Despite this, however, several cities have already withdrawn fluoride in response to the research, and an expert told DailyMail.com that expectant and new mothers should avoid it.
Writing on X, Mr Kennedy said: 'On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water.
The above map shows estimated fluoride concentrations in community water systems between 2006 and 2011. It was published in 2023. Counties that are colored red have more than double the recommended level of fluoride in their water
There has been controversy over fluoride in the water supply for years, with hundreds of communities voting against its use (Above is a campaign sign from Kennebunk, Maine)
’Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.’
Some studies have suggested exposure to high levels of fluoride can affect the thyroid, a gland in the front of the neck that manufactures hormones.
But there is no conclusive proof that fluoride is linked to Alzheimer’s and weakened bones. Over-exposure to fluoride has been linked to a condition called skeletal fluorosis, however, which leaves children with painful bones and joints.
The Fluoride Action Network, which spearheads efforts to remove fluoride, said online: 'No matter who wins, one thing is crystal clear: Fluoridation is a house of cards.
’The science shows it. The public has caught on. Fluoride’s days are numbered.’
Three cities held votes over adding fluoride to their drinking water yesterday — Hillsboro and Lebanon, in Oregon, and Sarcoxie, in Missouri — which all voted to have it removed from their drinking water.
Responding to the allegations, Dr Offit said: 'Fluoride has been well tested. It clearly and definitively decreases cavities, and is not associated with any clear evidence of the chronic diseases mentioned.’
The American Dental Association is a strong advocate of adding fluoride to water, with the CDC estimating it has saved more than $6.5billion in dental bills.
A spokesperson said: 'The key takeaway for the public and public health community… is that [studies and rulings] do not conclude with any certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health.’
The quote was given in response to a bombshell ruling in California, which suggested that fluoride may pose a 'hazard’ in drinking water.
The plan to slash federal healthcare funding and oversight
Mr Kennedy has repeatedly accused the current healthcare establishment of being corrupt and not seeking to protect the interests of the people.
In a post on X last month, he called the FDA 'corrupt’, and has previously suggested it is a 'sock puppet for the industries [it’s] supposed to regulate’.
He has promised to 'clean up’ public health agencies and has spoken about cutting funding or the headcount at the FDA and re-assigning 75 percent of the National Institute of Health’s research budget to investigating preventative healthcare.
These policies would have to go through Congress for approval, however, where they may face staunch opposition or be watered down.
Nonetheless, Science reports researchers are 'in a state of panic’ over the prospect of his appointment.
A source, who asked not to be named, told the publication: 'We’re all in a state of panic. The damage that he can do is enormous. I don’t know anybody who isn’t worried about this.’
Project 2025, an idea from a Trump think-tank, has also suggested dividing the CDC into two — with a division for data and public health policies — although this has not been endorsed by Kennedy.
The FDA is critical because it is responsible for approving and regulating foods, drugs and cosmetics to ensure people are not harmed, while the CDC protects public health via tracking diseases and collecting data on public health — and the National Institutes of Health is responsible for public health research.
In a message on X, Mr Kennedy said: 'The FDA’s war on public health is about to end.’
Pushing unproven treatments and drugs
Mr Kennedy’s tweet last month describing FDA’s war on public health continued: 'This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma.’
He has repeatedly called on health agencies to embrace alternative therapies, despite limited or no evidence supporting them.
Setting out his views in his book, The Real Anthony Fauci, Mr Kennedy suggested healthcare prioritized a 'vaccine-only’ strategy at the start of the Covid pandemic, while overlooking cures that were not as profitable.
Both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were tested in rigorous clinical trials during the Covid pandemic, but results showed the treatments did not work.
The above shows a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which some experts say can help wounds to heal faster. Some also claim it can slow aging
He also supports nutraceuticals, which are products derived from food sources that claim to provide benefits beyond basic nutrition.
These include dietary supplements like vitamins and fish oil, which many experts say don’t have any health benefits.
Concerns have been suggested over some vitamins, however, because brands may contain high doses of contaminants such as mercury often found in fish oil.
Mr Kennedy said in late September: 'My mind is open to the idea of psychedelics for treatment. People ought to have the freedom and the liberty to experiment with these hallucinogens to overcome debilitating disorders.’
Psychedelics like ketamine and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, have repeatedly been suggested as treatments for PTSD and even anxiety.
Experts say they could help to re-wire networks in the brain, helping to ease someone’s symptoms.
The FDA has already granted 'breakthrough approval’ for several psilocybin treatments but is yet to approve ketamine for treating any psychiatric disorders.
Among his other ideas, he has called for people to get more exposure to sunlight — saying it can help to ease mood.
Reproductive and trans rights
During his bid for the presidency, Mr Kennedy ran with Nicole Shanahan — who repeatedly voiced skepticism over IVF and the fertility industry, though RFK personally didn’t comment.
She told Politico previously: 'IVF is a very expensive for-profit business, and many of these clinics are owned by private equity firms that are not invested in the underlying health of women.
’What I care about is informed consent, and not letting corporations take advantage of us.’
IVF has been used to help parents conceive for decades, although often at great expense. Today, it accounts for about two percent of all live births in the US.
Mr Kennedy has voiced support for a ban on hormones, sex-change surgeries and puberty blocker prescriptions for trans children.
’Minors cannot drive, vote, join the army, get a tattoo, smoke, or drink, because we know that children do not fully understand the consequences of decisions with life-long ramifications,’ he said on X.
’I don’t think children can genuinely consent to repurposed castration drugs (puberty blockers) and surgical mutilation, which have permanent, irreversible effects.’
Puberty blockers and hormone therapies are powerful treatments that can leave children either permanently infertile or change their bodies and facial features.
Some doctors argue children should have access to the surgeries in order to reduce their risk of suicide, but a growing group of detransitioners says children should first be offered therapy and guidance before going through the procedures.
