Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunking President Donald Trump’s public health claims and who has vowed to lead the health effort, said Saturday that if the former president is elected, he will have a drink on his first day in office. He said he would promote the removal of fluoride from water.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost through normal wear and tear. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
President Kennedy made this declaration on Twitter/X on Saturday alongside various claims about the health effects of fluoride.
“On January 20th, President Trump will issue a recommendation to all Americans to remove fluoride from public water systems,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife Melania Trump “want to make America healthy again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
President Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not yet spoken to Kennedy about fluoride. You know it’s possible. ”
The Republican nominee declined to say whether he would seek to appoint Kennedy to the Cabinet, which would require Senate confirmation, but added: “He will play a big role in the administration.”
Asked if a ban on certain vaccines would be considered, Trump said he would discuss it with Kennedy and others. Trump described Kennedy as “very talented and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected social media posts over the weekend evoked the chaotic policymaking that characterized Trump’s White House tenure, when he was issuing policy declarations on Twitter virtually 24/7. It also highlighted the concerns many experts have about the influence Kennedy has over U.S. public health, having long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoridated toothpaste brands came on the market a few years later. Fluoride comes from many sources, but the main source for Americans is drinking water, researchers say.
In 2015, authorities lowered recommended levels of fluoride in drinking water to combat a dental condition called fluorosis that can cause spots on teeth and is becoming more common among children in the United States.
In August, a federal agency determined with “some confidence” that there was a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusions on studies with fluoride concentrations approximately twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited this study and ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it is not certain whether the amount of fluoride commonly added to water causes IQ declines in children, but a growing body of research suggests that it may be unwarranted. concluded that it presented a risk. He ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to take steps to lower that risk, but did not say what those steps should be.
In Saturday’s X post, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit from environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
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President Kennedy’s anti-vaccination group is suing The Associated Press and other news organizations for violating antitrust laws by taking steps to identify misinformation about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. A lawsuit is being filed. Kennedy is on leave from the group, but is listed as one of the lawyers in the case.
It remains unclear what role Kennedy will play if Trump wins on Tuesday. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump has called for “restructuring” of agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of President Trump’s top surrogates. President Trump has frequently cited the support of Kennedy, the scion of the Democratic dynasty, son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy joined Trump on Friday to speak at rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
President Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy that other than oil policy, “you can work on food, you can work on whatever you want.”
Trump added: “He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants children, he wants everything.”
