Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised to “make America healthy again,” but Americans are sick of him.
Users from the four corners of the internet have come together to clown on RFK Jr., who is currently one of the Trump administration’s most controversial nominees. The noted anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has provoked widespread American anxiety after he was made a candidate for the nation’s highest public health office. RFK Jr.’s nomination has been contested by Democrats and Republicans alike, with powerful lawmakers such as Mitch McConnell breaking from the GOP mould in order to criticize his candidacy.
But when it comes to throwing criticism, the internet itself remains undefeated. In response to the news that RFK Jr.’s nomination had moved forward after a vote by the Senate Finance Committee, the internet tore into the decision on X. “Did I miss the part when we all collectively agreed to let stupid people run the country?” wrote one user, accompanying a gif of a confused John Travolta.
In the pummeling of RFK Jr., president Donald Trump managed to catch a few strays. In a post on Truth Social, the president lent credence Kennedy Jr.’s widely debunked claim that vaccination causes autism. This claim is refuted by the National Institute of Health, one of the three health agencies Kennedy Jr. will be in charge of if his nomination is confirmed.
The idea that vaccines cause autism is far from the only unsupported claim that Kennedy Jr. has made. The HHS nominee has also suggested that American tap water turns kids gay and trans, and made the racist claim that Covid-19 “ethnically targeted” Black and hispanic people but left Chinese and Jewish people alone. Kennedy Jr. also believes that raw milk—which according to the CDC is a disease vector for bird flu—is healthy. Kennedy Jr. is also set to lead the CDC.
While RFK Jr. has promised that he “won’t take away anybody’s vaccines” his nomination mistakenly lends credence to his dubious beliefs, and uninformed American citizens could accept his misinformation as gospel. As this user suggests, thousands of children could be put at risk by RFK Jr.’s influence should their parents decide to take his bogus claims to heart. Meanwhile, food prices are still on the rise, and the Trump administration has yet to make good on its promise to reverse them.
As this user points out, Kennedy Jr.’s strangeness knows no bounds. On top of his eccentric health claims, the HHS nominee has a history of troubling behavior. He once cut off the head of a beached whale and strapped it to his car. He once deposited the corpse of a bear cub in Central Park. And like many other Trump administration nominees, he’s been accused of sexual assault.
The most terrifying aspect of RFK Jr.’s nomination is the fact that if the United States were to be hit by another pandemic like Covid-19, America’s top health official would be woefully unprepared to handle it. RFK Jr.’s nomination isn’t just dangerously political, it’s just dangerous in general. Should Americans be affected by another disease, they’re sure to find out just how dangerous RFK Jr. will be.
Published: Feb 5, 2025 03:11 am