Trump names RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services chief

President-elect Trump Thursday named vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in his forthcoming administration, the latest of a string of explosive cabinet picks.

Vowing to “Make America Great and Healthy Again,” Trump hailed RFK Jr. as the right person to end what he called a “chronic disease epidemic” in the U.S. and clean house at public health and food safety agencies.

“The safety and health of all Americans is the most important role of any administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives,” Trump said in a social media post. “Kennedy will restore these agencies to the traditions of gold standard scientific research, and beacons of transparency.”

The HHS post would typically require Senate confirmation, although Trump has suggested he might use so-called recess appointments to bypass the traditional role of lawmakers.

There will be an expected 53 Republican senators in the new Congress, and Vice President-elect JD Vance would get a tie-breaking vote, meaning four GOP senators would likely have to oppose Kennedy to block his appointment.

RFK Jr., the son of the slain Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, ran for president as an independent after toying with running against President Biden in a Democratic primary. He ended his White House campaign in the summer and endorsed Trump.

The two men became close friends and firm political allies, and Kennedy made regular appearances on Trump’s behalf on the presidential campaign trail.

Many members of Kennedy’s famous Democratic family have denounced his moves.

Trump had previously said he wanted to let RFK Jr. “go wild” on health policy. Some Trump insiders had predicted Kennedy might be named in a fuzzy role as health czar.

HHS is a sprawling agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid. The U.S. also plays a key role in global public health.

Kennedy has made outrageous false claims about childhood vaccines and the COVID vaccines that public health experts credit with ending the pandemic and saving millions of lives. He has claimed vaccines are linked to autism despite numerous studies going back decades that debunk that claim.

The pick sent stocks of vaccine-makers plunging on Wall Street in late trading Thursday.

Trump was previously the biggest booster of the COVID vaccine, which he fast-tracked as part of his much-hyped Operation Warp Speed. But he has since backed away from that stance as right-wing Republicans have rebelled against vaccines.

Trump had already made several controversial cabinet nominations this week including Matt Gaetz to be attorney general, Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon and Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.