Kennedy, who has long been a source of vaccine skepticism, has suggested Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to Trump's transition team as a potential candidate for the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
As reported by ABC News, sources close to the Trump transition operation have confirmed that Kennedy's recommendation is being seriously considered. The transition team is expected to vet Ladapo, who was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022.
Trump has reiterated Kennedy's sentiments, indicating a significant role for Kennedy in a potential future administration. "I said focus on health, focus -- you can do whatever you want," Trump stated about Kennedy during a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. He further affirmed his commitment to incorporating Kennedy into a potential new Trump administration.
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In a recent interview, Howard Lutnick, the co-chair of Trump's transition team, revealed that he had engaged in extensive discussions with Kennedy. Kennedy confirmed to ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl that these discussions are in their early stages, but affirmed that Ladapo is among the candidates being considered for the Health and Human Services Secretary position should Trump win the election.
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Kennedy praised Ladapo's willingness to question government orthodoxies, including his reluctance to enforce school closures, mask mandates, and his scrutiny of vaccine safety data. "He was willing to question some of the government orthodoxies...to look actually at the safety data from the vaccines, rather than just accept the words that vaccines are safe and effective," Kennedy said of Ladapo's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Kennedy also clarified that Trump has approached him about taking a leading role in public health matters. "The president has asked me to clean corruption out of the agencies, to return them to doing the kind of gold-standard, evidence-based science that they were famous for when I was a kid, and to end the chronic disease epidemic. And he's asked that I get measurable results in reducing chronic disease in children within two years," Kennedy told Karl.
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The Trump campaign, however, has distanced itself from any formal decisions regarding cabinet and personnel appointments. Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, "No formal decisions about cabinet and personnel have been made, however, President Trump has said he will work alongside passionate voices like RFK Jr. to Make America Healthy Again by providing families with safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic plaguing our children."
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ladapo faced criticism for repeatedly questioning the effectiveness of vaccines, which were developed under the Trump administration. Under Ladapo's leadership, Florida defied guidelines from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
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In October 2022, Ladapo advised against men between the ages of 18 and 30 receiving the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines due to a "modestly increased" risk of cardiac-related deaths. This study was widely criticized by the medical and scientific community for its poor methodology and lack of rigorous peer review.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC subsequently debunked Ladapo's claims, stating that cardiovascular experts found the risk of strokes and heart attacks was lower in people who were vaccinated against COVID-19, not higher.
Earlier this week, Kennedy claimed that Trump had "promised" him "control of the public health agencies" should Trump win the election. The agencies Kennedy would reportedly oversee include the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. "The key, which President Trump has promised me, is control of the public health agencies, which is HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others," Kennedy said. "And also the USDA, which is, you know, key to making America healthy, because we've got to get off of seed oils and we've got to get off of pesticides ... and we need to make that transition to regenerative."
