Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Joins Trump Transition Team with Health Reform Agenda, Issues Warning to FDA

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is part of Donald Trump’s transition team to help choose the cabinet officials for the incoming administration and has issued a stark warning for the FDA. Kennedy said:

“FDA’s war on public health is about to end. This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”

Last year, The HighWire reported on two high-ranking FDA officials who left the agency after the rollout of the vaccines to work for Moderna. Scott Gottlieb served as the FDA Commissioner under the first Trump administration and is a current Pfizer board of directors member. Gottlieb was implicated in the Twitter files for colluding with the social media giant to censor tweets that were skeptical of the vaccine, even when the information was true. Gottlieb referred to one tweet as “corrosive.”

Kennedy called out Trump last year for his failure to drain the swamp and for inviting Gottlieb into the administration as the head of the FDA. Kennedy said Gottlieb made $88 billion for Pfizer on one vaccine. Kennedy endorsed Trump for president in August, and it was announced that he would be involved in a plan to “Make America Healthy Again” by working with the health agencies, including HHS, CDC, NIH, and FDA.

“Robert F. Kennedy cares more about human beings and health and the environment than anybody, and he’s going to be – having him is such a great honor,” Trump said. “I’ve been friends of his for a long time, and I’m going to let him go wild on health. I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.”

Kennedy has also announced that the Trump White House will advise all U.S water systems to remove fluoride from public water on Trump’s first day in office. This news comes just over a month after the Fluoride Action Network won a landmark case against the EPA that requires the agency to create a plan that minimizes the “unreasonable harm” that is caused by water fluoridation.

Michael Connett, the lead attorney on the fluoride case,  appeared on The HighWire last week to discuss the harms of fluoride and the aftermath of the court decision. It may take the EPA years to follow through and make changes to the practice of fluoridation, but Connett said he thinks local municipalities will take steps to stop the practice immediately. The American Dental Association and other groups continue to say that community water fluoridation is backed by science and encourage communities to continue the practice.

In an interview with NPR, Kennedy dispelled rumors that he intends to take all vaccines off the market. “Of course, we’re not going to take vaccines away from anybody,” Kennedy said.

“We are going to make sure that Americans have good information right now. The science on vaccine safety, particularly, has huge deficits and we’re going to make sure those scientific studies are done and that people can make informed choices about their vaccinations and their children’s vaccinations.”

Joel Salatin, a prominent regenerative farmer, announced he had been contacted by the Trump transition team and accepted one of six advisory roles to the USDA secretary. He mentioned that Rep. Thomas Massie had accepted the role of agriculture secretary, though Massie denied any communication with the transition team.

Despite this, both Salatin and Massie expressed interest in collaborating with Trump and the USDA, though discussions remain preliminary. In an episode of The HighWire, host Del Bigtree visited Salatin’s Polyface Farm to explore biodynamic farming practices.

Calley Means, a former pharma and big food lobbyist, was consulting with Kennedy and Trump during their presidential campaigns but hasn’t yet been mentioned as a possibility for any positions within the new administration. Means appeared on The HighWire to spread his message about the rise in chronic disease, which has been a primary talking point for Kennedy during the presidential campaign.

On a podcast with Theo Von in August, Kennedy said he has been suing federal agencies for 40 years as an environmental lawyer. He said he has sued DOT, USDA, EPA, NIH, FDA, and many other federal agencies. “I feel like I know better than anybody else about unraveling the corporate capture,” Kennedy said. “And I’m not interested in anything; they’ve got nothing they can offer me. The only thing I’m concerned with is good government.”

Kennedy appeared on Fox News to discuss concerns with seed oils, food colorings, natural flavors, and pesticides. In August 2023, Kennedy said, “When I’m president, the EPA will protect people, not pesticide manufacturers.” He referred to the harms associated with glyphosate, one of the most used pesticides in the country. The HighWire recently reported on a new formulation of Roundup that is 45 times more toxic, according to an independent analysis.

While Kennedy is part of the transition team helping to choose the cabinet members for Trump’s administration, it is unknown if he will be taking a position. During an interview with Meghan Kelly, Donald Trump Jr. said that he would like Kennedy to be involved in whatever capacity he would like.

Trump Jr. said, “I’d love to let him go wild on some of these things or at least shed some light so the American public understands exactly why we are where we are, exactly why we’re so fat, exactly why we’re so unhealthy, and why it seems like so many people are trying to keep us that way, rather than let us be healthy.”

There is a little more than two months until Trump is inaugurated on January 20. The transition team tasked with staffing the administration includes Vice President-elect JD Vance, Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Howard Lutnick, and Linda McMahon.