Oct 31, 2024
Anti-Vaxxer RFK Jr. To Control Public Health Agencies Under Trump?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed in a Zoom call with supporters that former President Donald Trump give him "control of the public health agencies."
- 9 minutes
And I'm going
to let him go wild on health.
I'm going to let him go wild on the food.
I'm going to let him go wild on medicines.
The only thing I don't think I'm going to
let him even get near is the liquid gold
that we have under our feet.
[00:00:18]
The wild on medicine.
And that is what Donald Trump is saying.
Robert F Kennedy Jr would do
in a potential, Trump administration
if he wins next week.
And we're learning more about
what that role would be.
According to a Monday report
from Politico,
[00:00:35]
Kennedy told attendees at a virtual event
that the key to his plans is that
President President Trump has promised me
his control of the public health agencies,
which are HHS and its Subagencies,
CDC, FDA, NIH, and a few others,
and then also the USDA.
[00:00:57]
While that seems unlikely
given the scope of the potential role.
It wouldn't be out of character for Trump.
You might remember that Mick Mulvaney
was tapped by Trump
to serve as both the director
of the Office of Management and Budget,
and also as the director
of the Consumer Financial Protection
[00:01:14]
Bureau simultaneously.
Nevertheless, it remains unclear
what Rfk's exact role might be.
While the Trump campaign denied this,
telling Politico that formal discussions
of who will serve under Trump
are premature.
Others on Trump's team seem thrilled
to have Kennedy
[00:01:32]
dictate national health policy.
But as you've heard Trump indicate in
that clip, the only thing that will be off
limits for famed environmentalist RFK Jr
would be environmental policy.
Now, Jack, I know you've been sympathetic
to some aspects of RFK Jr. S,
[00:01:51]
policies, stances, actions in the past.
Do you think this is a good thing,
or do you think that not even being being
able to help shape environmental policy
is a big red flag?
No. Of course.
Terrible thing. So, look, the one.
There's three things he's good at.
I've said it 100 times.
[00:02:08]
He's great on environmental policies.
And Trump just said, that's the one thing
I'm not going to let him touch.
Okay, great.
And that's what he's built his career
on his actual professional career.
And he's good on anti-corruption.
He won't be able to touch that.
He's good on housing.
You won't be able to touch that.
[00:02:23]
So instead, he's going to give him
all the things he's terrible on.
And and Bobby Kennedy Jr has
a reputation for being wild.
Even if you like him and you
think it's unfair dropping off dead bears
in the Central Park.
[00:02:39]
The whales and the this and the that
and the sexting and the billion
other things that have gone on.
And you're going to say in your speech,
I'm going to let him go wild.
I'm let him go.
Okay. All right.
So that's rhetorically
a terrible take, I think.
[00:02:55]
But I know he's trying
to get the Kennedy voters.
But but I think he might cost himself
a lot of voters by saying,
hey, don't worry, I'm going
to let RFK Jr go wild in my campaign.
I'm just going to give him
this random, gigantic role
that doesn't even exist where he's
in charge of health and human services,
plus agriculture and the food supply.
[00:03:15]
Okay. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
And I bet that doesn't sound,
troubling at all.
I bet that everybody thinks
you're super sane,
and we're really looking forward to it.
Look, guys, when I say let's go
populist and anti-establishment,
[00:03:32]
I'm talking about corruption.
I'm talking about getting
money out of politics.
I'm talking about serving the average man.
I'm not talking about saying that 99%
of the doctors in the world are wrong. 99%
of the scientists in the world are wrong.
So I don't know what he's going to do.
But if they start, you know,
limiting vaccines,
[00:03:52]
I it could end in absolute disaster.
So okay, great.
We have that to look forward to.
They're all going to go wild
in the Trump campaign.
It's going to be four years
of utter chaos if he wins.
[00:04:09]
Well, on that front, Jake.
Kaitlan Collins did ask Trump's transition
chair, Howard Lutnick, about RFK Jr.
Potentially having a role in shaping
some of this medicine and health policy.
- And this is what he had to say.
- Is that true?
[00:04:25]
Has Trump promised him
basically the HHS job?
So I spent 2.5 hours this week
with Bobby Kennedy Jr. And it was the most
extraordinary thing because let's face it,
we've all heard on the news all sorts
of sort of snarky comments about him.
[00:04:41]
And I said, so tell me,
how's it going to go?
And he said, why don't you just listen
to me explain things?
And what he explained was,
when he was born, we had three vaccines
and autism was 1 in 10,000.
Now a baby is born with 76 vaccines
because in 1986, they waived
[00:04:58]
product liability for vaccines.
And and here's the best one.
They started paying the people at the NIH.
Right.
They pay them a piece of the money
for the vaccine companies.
Wait a minute. Let me finish.
And so all of these vaccines
came out without product liability.
[00:05:16]
So what happened?
Now autism is 1 in 34. Okay.
- Amazing.
- Neither of us are doctors.
Vaccines are safe. RFK.
- I mean.
- Why do you think vaccines are safe?
- There's no product liability anymore.
- Here's what he said.
Cause autism, which is what RFK pushes,
which is why people are concerned
that he could get a job like HHS.
[00:05:33]
- And I don't even think he's getting a.
- Job for HHS.
Now, of course,
vaccines do not cause autism, and the
studies have suggested that they did.
Have been shown
to be fraudulent, but for why?
[00:05:49]
Autism rates have increased.
Advances in diagnostic capabilities
and greater understanding and awareness
of autism spectrum disorder
seem to be largely driving the increase,
Rutgers researchers said.
But there's probably more to the story.
Genetic factors,
and perhaps some environmental ones, too,
[00:06:06]
might also be contributing to the trend.
What environmental factors
could be contributing isn't totally clear,
but what is clear is
that vaccines are not one of them.
Plus, much of the risk
of developing autism around 83%,
according to one analysis,
comes from inherited genetic factors.
[00:06:25]
But getting back to RFK Jr and Lutnick,
he said some pretty, he said pretty firmly
that he won't have a job at HHS.
Trump was asked the very same question
during his garbage truck photo op.
Can't believe I'm saying that
and had a very different response.
[00:06:41]
Take a look.
RFK Jr said that you promised to control
the public health agencies
if you were to win.
- Is that is that accurate?
- Well, we'll work with him.
And he's a very talented guy.
He wants women's health.
He wants health for people.
And we're going to work with him.
He's a very, very talented guy.
[00:06:58]
- He's a friend of mine.
- But, Jake, all of this.
What do you what do you make of this?
Even the the dump truck?
Yeah.
So, look, depending on whether you think
this is good news or bad news,
[00:07:13]
he might screw over him.
At once. He wins.
And I'm going to explain why in a second
and how, but first, come on, guys, like,
if when RFK Jr makes a point
that they have a product liability shield
and that protects those drug companies
[00:07:32]
from being more tested in court.
Okay, I hear that point.
And that's an interesting point.
But there's also a reason for that.
And that that should be worthy of a debate
between intelligent people
who understand the issues.
But then he makes it seem like
because they have that shield,
[00:07:50]
that no one's ever done a test
on a link between autism and vaccines.
But that's not true.
A lot of people have done those tests,
and all of them say there is no link.
And they say,
wait a minute, wait a minute.
When Bobby was born, he's in his 70s.
[00:08:06]
When he was born,
autism was barely diagnosed.
I mean, come on, that's sophistry.
You don't know that you're going to make
that point to try to mislead people.
Oh, it's more diagnosed now.
So you see how it increased
because of what.
[00:08:22]
And by the way, a lot of things
have happened in that 70 plus years.
Oh it must be the vaccines and that.
No, no.
You're just he's never convinced me
that he knows better
than 99% of the scientists in the world.
[00:08:37]
Sorry, sorry I hurt if that hurts
your feelings, that that's a sad day.
Okay, but no,
I believe the doctors and the scientists.
So, look, here's
how you can get screwed though it.
Cabinet positions like the head of HHS
require Senate confirmation.
[00:08:55]
So he could just have him get try
to get confirmed by the Senate.
The Senate says no.
And then he goes,
oh, well, Bobby, I tried.
You're such a good pal, you know,
let's let's go hang out together.
But no, you get nothing.
I already got your votes.
That would be a very Trump move, right?
[00:09:11]
So that's not impossible.
On the other hand, Trump,
when people don't get confirmed,
does something that like I get it, man.
Honestly, I might do it too.
And if that upsets you that's fine.
But he just goes,
okay, he's acting secretary and he'll be
[00:09:28]
acting secretary for four years.
What are you going to do now?
And the answer is
he's got in his first term,
the Democrats aren't going to do anything
and there isn't anything they can do.
So he could make him
chief doctor of the planet.
And there's nothing
Democrats can do about it.
[00:09:45]
So buckle up. Brace for impact.
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