Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told supporters on Monday that former President Donald Trump has promised to give him “control” of several public health agencies, including the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture, if he wins a second term in November.
Kennedy, who suspended his independent presidential campaign in August and endorsed Trump, said during a livestreamed organizing event that Trump told him he’d oversee a vast public health portfolio if the former president returns to the White House, and added that he’d prioritize his agenda for “making America healthy.”
“The key that I think I’m – you know, that President Trump has promised me is – is control of the public health agencies, which are HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others, and then also the USDA, which is – which, you know, is key to making America healthy. Because we’ve got to get off of seed oils, and we’ve got to get off of pesticide intensive agriculture,” Kennedy said, according to video of the event obtained by CNN.
CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Trump has previously told CNN he would consider appointing Kennedy to a role in a potential second administration. Following Kennedy’s endorsement in August, Trump committed to including Kennedy on a panel that would investigate the rise in diagnoses of chronic diseases should he return to the White House. Kennedy serves on Trump’s transition team and has been campaigning as a surrogate for him in key battleground states since exiting the presidential race.
On Sunday, Trump said during a campaign rally in New York that he would let Kennedy “go wild on food” and “go wild on medicines” if he wins in November.
Kennedy has been one of the leading proponents of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories in the United States. He made false attacks on the safety and efficacy of vaccines and sharp criticisms of public health and agriculture policy a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.
CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
