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RFK Jr. recommends fellow vaccine skeptic, Florida's surgeon general, to Trump for HHS secretary

ByJonathan Karl, Will Steakin, and Katherine Faulders

November 1, 2024, 8:02 PM

4:29

RFK Jr. says Trump 'promised' him 'control of the public health agencies'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former third-party presidential candidate, claims former President Donald Trump promised him control of HHS and USDA if elected president.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently sparked controversy with claims that former President Donald Trump has promised him "control" of public health agencies if Trump regains the presidency, has been privately advising the Trump transition team on prospects for cabinet positions -- including recommending a fellow vaccine skeptic to lead the federal agency responsible for public health protection, according to sources.

Kennedy, who has spent years fueling mistrust around safe vaccines, has recommended Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to Trump's transition team as a candidate for the position of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, multiple sources told ABC News.

Sources close to Trump's transition operation say the recommendation is being taken seriously and the team working on the transition is expected to vet Ladapo, who was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, for the position.

MORE: RFK Jr. says Trump has 'promised' him 'control of the public health agencies'

Trump has echoed Kennedy's comments that he sees a prominent role for Kennedy in a potential administration.

"I said focus on health, focus -- you can do whatever you want," Trump said of Kennedy in a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, adding he was completely committed to bringing Kennedy into a potential new Trump administration when asked by the podcast host.

In an interview earlier this week, the co-chair of Trump's transition team, Howard Lutnick, said he had spoken with Kennedy for more than two hours.

Kennedy told ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl that the discussions are in their preliminary stages, but confirmed that Ladapo is among those under consideration to become secretary of Health and Human Services if Trump should win the election.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attend a campaign event sponsored by conservative group Turning Point USA, in Duluth, Georgia, Oct. 23, 2024.

Carlos Barria/Reuters

"We are still talking to people and he is among the people we are talking to," Kennedy told Karl regarding Ladapo, who Kennedy said he recommended in part due to Ladapo's vaccine skepticism.

"He was willing to question some of the government orthodoxies to not close the schools, to not force people to wear masks, to look actually at the safety data from the vaccines, rather than just accept the words that vaccines are safe and effective," Kennedy said of Ladapo's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of why he thinks Ladapo should be considered for the position.

"We are still fine-tuning our list," Kennedy told ABC News.

Kennedy also made it clear that Trump has spoken to him about taking a lead role on the issue of public health.

"The president has asked me to clean corruption out of the agencies, to return them to doing the kind of gold-standard, evidence-based science that they were famous for when I was a kid, and to end the chronic disease epidemic. And he's asked that I get measurable results in reducing chronic disease in children within two years," Kennedy told Karl.

In response to Kennedy's comments, the Trump campaign distanced themselves from any formal decision.

MORE: Scientists pan analysis Florida's surgeon general posted on COVID-19 vaccines

"No formal decisions about cabinet and personnel have been made, however, President Trump has said he will work alongside passionate voices like RFK Jr. to Make America Healthy Again by providing families with safe food and ending the chronic disease epidemic plaguing our children," Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "Trump will also establish a special Presidential Commission of independent minds and will charge them with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illnesses."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ladapo drew criticism for repeatedly questioning the effectiveness of vaccines, which were developed under the Trump administration. Under Ladapo, Florida defied guidelines from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

In October 2022, Ladapo recommended against men between the ages of 18 and 30 receiving the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines due to a "modestly increased" risk of cardiac-related deaths in an analysis posted online. The study was widely criticized by the medical and scientific community due to its poor methodology and because it never went through the rigorous standards of peer review.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC subsequently sent a letter to Ladapo debunking his claims. The agencies wrote that cardiovascular experts found the risk of strokes and heart attacks was lower in people who were vaccinated against COVID-19, not higher.

Earlier this week, Kennedy said that Trump had "promised" him "control of the public health agencies" should Trump win the election. The agencies Kennedy would reportedly oversee would include the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

"The key, which President Trump has promised me, is control of the public health agencies, which is HHS and its sub-agencies, CDC, FDA, NIH and a few others," Kennedy said. "And also the USDA, which is, you know, key to making America healthy, because we've got to get off of seed oils and we've got to get off of pesticides ... and we need to make that transition to regenerative."