President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine activist, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy, who previously ran for president in 2024 as a Democrat and later as an independent before endorsing Trump, has a controversial history of promoting conspiracy theories, including claims that vaccines cause autism and that COVID-19 was engineered to target specific racial groups.

If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee 13 agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He has expressed intentions to remove certain experts from these agencies, particularly targeting departments he believes are not effectively protecting public health, such as the nutrition department at the FDA.

Public health experts have raised alarms about the potential impact of Kennedy's leadership on vaccine uptake and overall public health. Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, warned that Kennedy's anti-vaccine stance could lead to increased illness and death, as his rhetoric may discourage vaccination among the public. Experts fear that a decline in vaccination rates could result in outbreaks of preventable diseases like polio and measles.

Kennedy's nomination fits into Trump's broader strategy of appointing loyalists who promise to disrupt the status quo in Washington. Alongside Kennedy, Trump has also nominated Jay Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, indicating a continued focus on loyalty and disruption within his administration.