RFK Jr. recommends fellow vaccine skeptic to Trump for HHS secretary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who precocious sparked contention pinch claims that erstwhile President Donald Trump has promised him "control" of nationalist wellness agencies if Trump regains nan presidency, has been privately advising nan Trump modulation squad connected prospects for furniture positions -- including recommending a chap vaccine skeptic to lead nan national agency responsible for nationalist wellness protection, according to sources.

Kennedy, who has spent years fueling mistrust astir safe vaccines, has recommended Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to Trump's modulation squad arsenic a campaigner for nan position of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, aggregate sources told ABC News.

Sources adjacent to Trump's modulation cognition opportunity nan proposal is being taken earnestly and nan squad moving connected nan modulation is expected to vet Ladapo, who was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis successful 2022, for nan position.

Trump has echoed Kennedy's comments that he sees a salient domiciled for Kennedy successful a imaginable administration.

"I said attraction connected health, attraction -- you tin do immoderate you want," Trump said of Kennedy successful a caller quality connected nan Joe Rogan podcast, adding he was wholly committed to bringing Kennedy into a imaginable caller Trump management erstwhile asked by nan podcast host.

In an question and reply earlier this week, nan co-chair of Trump's modulation team, Howard Lutnick, said he had spoken pinch Kennedy for much than 2 hours.

Kennedy told ABC News main Washington analogous Jonathan Karl that nan discussions are successful their preliminary stages, but confirmed that Ladapo is among those nether information to go caput of Health and Human Services if Trump should triumph nan election.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican statesmanlike nominee and erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump be a run arena sponsored by blimpish group Turning Point USA, successful Duluth, Georgia, Oct. 23, 2024.

Carlos Barria/Reuters

"We are still talking to group and he is among nan group we are talking to," Kennedy told Karl regarding Ladapo, who Kennedy said he recommended successful portion owed to Ladapo's vaccine skepticism.

"He was consenting to mobility immoderate of nan authorities orthodoxies to not adjacent nan schools, to not unit group to deterioration masks, to look really astatine nan information information from nan vaccines, alternatively than conscionable judge nan words that vaccines are safe and effective," Kennedy said of Ladapo's consequence to nan COVID-19 pandemic, arsenic portion of why he thinks Ladapo should beryllium considered for nan position.

"We are still fine-tuning our list," Kennedy told ABC News.

Kennedy besides made it clear that Trump has spoken to him astir taking a lead domiciled connected nan rumor of nationalist health.

"The president has asked maine to cleanable corruption retired of nan agencies, to return them to doing nan benignant of gold-standard, evidence-based subject that they were celebrated for erstwhile I was a kid, and to extremity nan chronic illness epidemic. And he's asked that I get measurable results successful reducing chronic illness successful children wrong 2 years," Kennedy told Karl.

In consequence to Kennedy's comments, nan Trump run distanced themselves from immoderate general decision.

"No general decisions astir furniture and unit person been made, however, President Trump has said he will activity alongside passionate voices for illustration RFK Jr. to Make America Healthy Again by providing families pinch safe nutrient and ending nan chronic illness pandemic plaguing our children," Trump run property caput Karoline Leavitt said successful a statement. "Trump will besides found a typical Presidential Commission of independent minds and will complaint them pinch investigating what is causing nan decades-long summation successful chronic illnesses."

During nan COVID-19 pandemic, Ladapo drew disapproval for many times questioning nan effectiveness of vaccines, which were developed nether nan Trump administration. Under Ladapo, Florida defied guidelines from nan CDC and nan American Academy of Pediatrics regarding nan COVID-19 vaccine.

In October 2022, Ladapo recommended against men betwixt nan ages of 18 and 30 receiving nan COVID-19 mRNA vaccines owed to a "modestly increased" consequence of cardiac-related deaths successful an study posted online. The study was wide criticized by nan aesculapian and technological organization owed to its mediocre methodology and because it ne'er went done nan rigorous standards of adjacent review.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and nan CDC subsequently sent a missive to Ladapo debunking his claims. The agencies wrote that cardiovascular experts recovered nan consequence of strokes and bosom attacks was little successful group who were vaccinated against COVID-19, not higher.

Earlier this week, Kennedy said that Trump had "promised" him "control of nan nationalist wellness agencies" should Trump triumph nan election. The agencies Kennedy would reportedly oversee would see nan Department of Health and Human Services and nan Department of Agriculture.

"The key, which President Trump has promised me, is power of nan nationalist wellness agencies, which is HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a fewer others," Kennedy said. "And besides nan USDA, which is, you know, cardinal to making America healthy, because we've sewage to get disconnected of seed oils and we've sewage to get disconnected of pesticides ... and we request to make that modulation to regenerative."