RFK Jr. Says Trump Would Put Him in Charge of Public Health, Trump Campaign Clarifies

Former 2024 Democratic and Independent presidential candidate turned Trump ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said former President Trump “promised” him “control” over key public health agencies if elected president.

The Details: Trump allegedly said he would put the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under Kennedy’s supervision. Kennedy said this would include the “HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH, and a few others.” The comments were made in a video that is circulating online.

Pump the Brakes: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) reported speaking to Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, who said, “Formal discussions of who will serve in a second Trump Administration is premature.” It also reported that Kennedy said in a text message that the conversation was recorded during an internal discussion with Trump campaign workers regarding voter turnout initiatives.

For Context: Since dropping out of the presidential race in August, Kennedy has teamed up with Trump to “Make America Healthy Again” - a slogan the two have coined for what Kennedy’s reported influence on the administration would be. During Trump’s Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden, he said he would let Kennedy “go wild on health.”

How the Media Covered It: The New York Times wrote in its lead that Kennedy has “promoted unproven theories about the dangers of pharmaceutical treatments” in recent years. Fox News (Right bias) included a quote from Kennedy where he said he and Trump would "replace the corrupt industry-captured officials with honest public servants."