The nomination by president-elect Donald Trump of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has stirred much debate and put Kennedy’s comments regarding topics on public health, vaccines, and COVID-19 policies under severe attack as distrusted. Known for being outspoken, the nomination of Kennedy puts new light on his controversial theories and widely debated assertions, even prompting President-elect Trump to remark that he would let Kennedy “go wild” on health policies.
Here are the most contested claims brought by the 70-year-old, boiled down to a closer look:
1. Prescription Drugs Contributing To Mass Shootings
Kennedy has long contended that prescription drugs, including antidepressants such as Prozac, are related to the mass shootings that periodically occur in America. In a discussion on this topic with Elon Musk, he responded by saying that these sorts of atrocities were practically unknown until the widespread use of antidepressants. The medical community had always disputed this view with a scientific basis that there was no casual connection between prescription drugs and mass shootings.
2. Vaccines And Autism Claims
One of the long claims associated with Kennedy is that vaccines, more specifically thimerosal-containing vaccines, are connected to cases of autism. A number of correctable health authorities such as CDC and WHO have flatly stated that vaccines are safe and, by far, have no proven links to the causes of autism.
3. COVID-19 Affects Ethnicities Differently
But in a July 2024 video, Kennedy continued to fan controversy by even stating the implications of COVID-19 on ethnic groups are unequal, as Caucasians and Black people suffer more from it, whereas those of Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese ancestry are reported to be less vulnerable. This already has been denounced by many experts in public health as unsupported, which fanned even wider criticism about his approach to health science.
4. U.S.-Fund ‘Ethnically Targeted Microbes’ Projects
In the same video, Kennedy alleged that the United States is involved in projects that produce “ethnically targeted microbes,” or biological agents intended to target specific races. He referred to alleged US laboratories in Ukraine that are working on DNA samples of Russians and Chinese. Again, this is baseless, and other allegations linked with this theory have been talked about as a form of misinformation.
5. Allegations Against Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates
A staunch critic of Anthony Fauci, Kennedy has also attacked the former health advisor to President Biden for colluding with Bill Gates and pharmaceutical companies in profiteering off COVID-19 vaccines. His book, The Real Anthony Fauci, claims conspiratorial motives by the government over vaccine mandates, a stance that is seen by many as false.
6. False Claims Of Voter Fraud In 2004 Election
In 2006, Kennedy told Rolling Stone that he in fact did find the result of then-President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection election involved fraud. However, this was proven invalid after a Democratic Party-led investigation conducted during 2005 revealed no evidence that fraud marred the general elections, contrary to what Kennedy proposed.
7. CIA Role In JFK’s Assassination
Kennedy has already made public that it was the CIA that murdered his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, contrary to the conclusion made by the Warren Commission about Lee Harvey Oswald, who was said to have assassinated the president alone in 1963. The findings of the commission have been accepted by historians and experts. Thus, Kennedy’s claims amount to nothing but conspiracy.
With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. set to mold the national health policy, his unorthodox views on key issues are sparking a new wave of debate and alarm.
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