How RFK Jr could shape public health
Also: a personal update about a book event tonight
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited The Post for a conversation last year, I pressed the long-shot presidential candidate on his criticism of covid-19 vaccines, his comments about premature deaths in America, and other policy and political issues.1
But as Kennedy stood up to walk out the door, I asked one more question: what changes would he make to agencies like CDC and FDA, if elected president?
“Refocus them on chronic disease,” Kennedy said. He added that chronic disease was the overlooked driver of high health care costs, citing data that more than half of all Americans now suffer from a chronic disease like high blood pressure.
RFK Jr. won’t be president. But thanks to his alliance with Donald Trump, he may soon have the power to refocus those agencies as he vowed — to the terror of public-health experts and current federal staffers, who are worried about the longtime vaccine skeptic suddenly assuming control.
At The Post, we’ve spent a few weeks digging into Kennedy’s agenda, goals and allies. More on that below.
But first, a programming note: I’ll be in conversation with epidemiologist
at Politics and Prose tonight (The Wharf location, at 7 p.m.) to discuss Caitlin’s elegant and interesting new book, “Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks.”
When covid-19 emerged, Caitlin quickly became a go-to source for me and other reporters, thanks to her true expertise and perceptive, pithy commentary. She’s continued to be a terrific resource when other public health threats pop up.
Reading “Crisis Averted” is like having an extended conversation with her: it’s sharp, insightful, and often terrifying when you realize the implications, such as how close we’ve come to other major outbreaks.
If you’re looking for something less stressful than thinking about the election — like pondering pandemics — I’ll hope you join us.
RFK Jr has rapidly ascended in Trump’s orbit
When I first met Kennedy and his campaign advisers last year, they made a simple pitch: he was the only Democrat who could beat Trump.
Now Kennedy’s joined him, become a key campaign surrogate and stands to gain real influence if Trump wins. He’s also launched the new Make America Healthy Again platform, a collection of ideas to combat chronic disease and childhood illness, riffing off Trump’s “MAGA” brand.
Both men have spoken publicly, at some length, about how Trump has promised Kennedy a relatively free hand to oversee America’s health agencies and probe problems such as chronic disease.
(Now, will Trump actually follow through on that promise if he wins the election? Ask Chris Christie about that. His plans are known to shift.)
And while Trump officials have mostly focused on Kennedy’s plan to fight chronic disease, which they think could attract moderate voters, Kennedy himself continues to raise vaccine safety issues as a priority in private conversations with Trump advisers and allies.
At The Post, my colleagues Lauren Weber, Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer and Rachel Roubein, along with me, have a new story on those Kennedy-Trump dynamics, including private deliberations about RFK Jr.’s role, and the names on the emerging staffing wish-list.
One thing we heard: Kennedy could get end up with an expansive White House job, overseeing multiple agencies, we report. (And if he’s chosen as a White House czar, he won’t need Senate confirmation.) As a fallback, some Trump allies and advisers are speculating that Kennedy will get something like the panel that he’s long sought to probe vaccine safety and other health issues.
Here’s our story, with a gift link to read it, since I understand a few people may have given up their subscriptions this week.
RFK Jr. set for major food, health role in potential Trump administration
It’s been a tough few days in our newsroom, so forgive me for belaboring the point. But five reporters worked on this story. The resulting article is more than 2,500 words long. It offers new insights and details about Kennedy’s potential role under Trump, what his plans could be, and who he wants working alongside him.
No one told us what to write, or stopped us from including what we wanted in the story. Just like usual.
Instead, a story like this — weaving together multiple reporters’ different sources and expertise — is why it’s a privilege and pleasure to write for The Post. Just like usual.
I hope you get some value from it too. (Again, hopefully, just like usual.)
Such as whether he’d run on a unity ticket with Donald Trump. Kennedy side-stepped the questions.
"Instead, a story like this — weaving together multiple reporters’ different sources and expertise — is why it’s a privilege and pleasure to write for The Post. Just like usual. "
best kind of weave. Keep up the good work!
I have been thinking about you a lot this week. Hang in there. My paid subscription is alive and well, and I appreciate what you and your colleagues do to keep the rest of us informed. With, you know, facts.