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In November, Trump declared prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr his nominee to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services and Instagram turned into my personal hell. Reason being, I watched a post from the latter, in which the former environmental lawyer celebrates his ascent to mainstream power, shared extensively by people working in the wellness world. ‘We have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic,’ it reads.
Kennedy’s catechism is to ‘Make America Healthy Again’, or ‘MAHA’. This is a modified version of MAGA, the mantle he took up after dropping his independent bid to win the latest US election to endorse the president-elect. (Until 2023, Kennedy was a Democrat; during his independent presidential bid, he often sharply criticised his new boss.)
Conspiracy theories and credibility clash.
This move was, perhaps, the zenith of an on-going phenomenon: beliefs coded ‘crunchy’ and often historically aligned with the left – things like stating that big food companies which aggressively advertise foods with little nutritional value should have their ability to advertise restricted and that access to fresh produce shouldn’t just be for the rich – bleeding into the trippy world of the alt-right.
In some ways, it’s quite understandable. It's easy for anyone to sense that the current state of health in the Western world is troubling. This is what makes the neat explanations regarding the underlying reasons for this widespread illness so appealing. I find myself agreeing with a lot of what Kennedy Jr presents. The industrialized food system is indeed a factor contributing to the poor health many of us experience; the increase in chronic diseases is alarming and warrants serious attention.
Listen to Kennedy Jr speak, though, and you’ll soon feel yourself falling through the looking glass and into a surreal world of fantastical alternative facts. He’s reiterated the long debunked claim that childhood vaccines are linked to autism; he's said that antidepressants are connected to mass shootings ('Prior to the introduction of Prozac, we had almost none of these events in our country,' was a memorable comment served in a June 2023 Twitter Spaces conversation hosted by Elon Musk). An out and proud raw milk drinker – milk that hasn’t been pasteurised, a process that kills harmful bacteria – he's consistently undermined the health risks associated with doing so. (When asked to respond to his previous false claims by the Washington Post, Kennedy’s spokesperson directed the publication to this statement.)
Absurd views can have tragic consequences. An example: the island nation of Samoa is still reverberating from a deadly measles outbreak in 2019, in which 83 people, mostly babies and young children, died. The disease, which is preventable thanks to a vaccine, spread at a time of record low inoculation rates. This was down to myriad factors. Something important to note, though, is that, before the outbreak, Kennedy Jr was hosted in the country, meeting with anti-vaccine figures. Here, he contributed to a 'significant disinformation campaign' amplifying distrust in vaccines, according to Aiono Prof Alec Ekeroma, Samoa’s director general of health. Kennedy Jr denies being anti-vaccine.
Medical professionals caution about impending risks.
This precarious mix of logic and absurdity renders him a perilous public figure wielding considerable influence. As he prepares to assume a prominent government health role at a global superpower this month – pending confirmation, Kennedy Jr would oversee the Food and Drug Administration, responsible for approving medical products, including medications; the National Institutes of Health, a key research entity; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health authority of the US – his apparent indifference to scientific facts takes on a more troubling dimension.
This isn't just a quirky individual who enjoys adding seeds to his organic granola and making his own kombucha. To clarify: we're talking about a man who has suggested that Prozac may play a role in mass shootings.
Such is the concern over his incoming appointment that over 15,000 doctors in the US have signed a letter urging senators to vote against confirming Kennedy Jr into the role, when Trump is inaugurated. 'This appointment is a slap in the face to every health care professional who has spent their lives working to protect patients from preventable illness and death,' the letter reads.
So much needs to shift. Our water supply has literally gone to shit. If you live with a chronic female health condition, like I do, you've likely languished on NHS waiting lists for months, leading to humming frustration with a health system that dismisses your symptoms. We’re overstimulated (screens; stress) and undernourished (by food, yes, but a lack of healthy social relationships, too.) And while the UK doesn’t have its own RFK-style figure now, it’s entirely logical that watching a politician in a country we share a language with speak on solutions to the issues plaguing the western world can feel energising.
However, Kennedy should not be viewed as a savior delivering truth and understanding. Instead, he represents a false prophet who capitalizes on genuine fears to lend legitimacy to notions that vary from misguided and strange to outright perilous. It's crucial for us to recognize this.
