Donald Trump has announced his intention for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as his secretary of health and human services. 

Trump had earlier hinted at the selection during his victory speech. “He’s going to help make America healthy again,” Trump told the crowd in reference to Kennedy. 

Trump’s announcement cited Kennedy’s opposition to the current industrialized food and medical industries as rationale for his selection. 

“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,” Trump wrote. “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 that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.”

The announcement highlights Kennedy’s long political journey from the left of the Democratic Party to prospectively playing a major role in a Republican administration. Both John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 considered Kennedy as a hypothetical pick for EPA administrator, although Obama considered him too controversial and liberal for the role even after his landslide victory in 2008. 

In the intervening years, Kennedy has shifted towards the Republican Party, endorsing Trump in August of this year, citing Trump’s positions on Ukraine and free speech amongst his reasons for doing so.

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