Kennedy, who final month suspended his Unbiased presidential bid, has been appointed an honorary co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition crew. The transfer has stoked fears among the many public well being consultants that the anti-vaccine activist might have an outsized affect on the previous president’s well being insurance policies in a possible second time period.
Trump has not dedicated to a particular function for Kennedy, however in a leaked telephone name in July the previous president prompt Kennedy would have a “huge” function in his administration.
Well being consultants worry that Kennedy would both appoint himself to a high-ranking place at a public well being company or appoint one other anti-vaccine activist with no scientific background.
“From a well being perspective this might be nothing in need of chaos,” stated Robert Murphy, a professor of infectious illness at Northwestern College Feinberg College of Medication.
Trump has expressed wildly totally different views on vaccines. Earlier than getting into politics, Trump was an avowed vaccine skeptic, usually parroting the extensively discredited idea that childhood vaccines, or a minimum of excessive doses of them, trigger autism.
Kennedy has additionally stated conflicting issues on vaccines previously. He has denied being utterly towards vaccines however has steadily promoted debunked theories about them.
Throughout a congressional listening to final 12 months, Kennedy denied that he urged folks to not get vaccinated, however two years prior stated on a podcast that he frequently tells others to not vaccinate their kids.
Throughout a CNN interview final December, Kennedy once more denied saying no vaccines are “protected and efficient,” regardless of saying so in one other interview just some months earlier than.
Learn extra in a full report at TheHill.com.