Anti-vax conspiracy theorist and JFK’s nephew: Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? – Le Monde

By calling on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Thursday, November 14, to become his health secretary, president-elect Donald Trump has provided yet another illustration of his wish to shake up the establishment. An anti-vaxxer, without any scientific expertise, “RFK Jr.,” the nephew of the United States’ former president John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, has announced his intention to “clean up the corruption” that he has alleged exists within federal food and drug regulatory agencies.

Trump has made it clear that the former environmental lawyer’s main mission will be to take on the country’s big pharmaceutical and food-processing monopolies. “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,” he said.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which RFK Jr. will head, if his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, oversees key areas such as drug, vaccine and food safety, medical research and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which are crucial for American health insurance coverage. According to the president-elect, Kennedy will be responsible for ensuring that Americans are protected “from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country.”

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