{"id":1049762,"date":"2024-11-15T10:12:49","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T15:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1049762"},"modified":"2024-11-15T10:12:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T15:12:50","slug":"trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response to Donald Trump picking conspiracy theorist and misinformation propagandist RFK Jr. to lead HHS,<\/em> DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDonald Trump is threatening the health and safety of every American to reward a notorious liar who has pushed 9\/11 conspiracy theories, backed a national abortion ban, spread disinformation that led to a deadly measles outbreak, and left an appalling record of personal behavior \u2014 including sexual assault allegations \u2014 in his wake. Americans should not have to put their health in the hands of a man who has had a worm eat part of his brain, and Democrats are ready to fight every day against RFK Jr. and Trump\u2019s dangerous agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a dangerous anti-vaxxer who thinks no vaccine is safe and effective, and opposes requirements for polio and MMR vaccines.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother Jones<\/a>: \u201cIn July 2023, at the invitation of House Republicans, he appeared at a congressional hearing and declared, \u2018I have never been anti-vax. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.\u2019 Yet that same month, during a podcast interview, he asserted, \u2018There\u2019s no vaccine that is safe and effective.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: <\/strong> \u201cHe has an unenviable history of anti-vaccine advocacy, including peddling debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and leading an anti-vaccine group. He claims he is not opposed to vaccines, though that\u2019s hard to square with his recent comments that \u2018there\u2019s no vaccine that is safe and effective\u2019 and \u2018I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby, and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles Times<\/a>: \u201cChildren\u2019s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization Kennedy founded and chairs, last week platformed a fatuously inaccurate 2013 book claiming that polio isn’t caused by a virus and that the polio vaccine \u2018doesn’t work.\u2019 The book was conclusively debunked long ago. But last Tuesday, the organization published an interview with its co-author Suzanne Humphries, in which she repeated her claim that polio is caused by toxins, not the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FactCheck.org<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cAt the time, Fridman pushed Kennedy on the issue, noting that those were \u2018big words\u2019 \u2014 and asked about the polio vaccine. Kennedy then misleadingly suggested that the polio vaccines given to his generation caused cancer \u2014 despite a lack of evidence that this is true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NPR<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion with the famous last name who’s running as an independent for president, is also infamous for his stances against vaccines. Vaccines are safe and effective and have been credited with stopping the spread of diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, polio and global pandemics. Despite the solid evidence, people like RFK Jr. \u2014 with no expertise and who refuse to listen to experts \u2014 have spread disinformation about them, playing on false conspiracy theories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cAsked if he would recommend that parents give their children the MMR vaccine amid an uptick in measles in the U.S., Kennedy declined to answer. \u2018I\u2019m not gonna\u2014,\u2019 he said, and walked away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy contributed to one of the deadliest measles outbreaks in recent history in Samoa.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philadelphia Inquirer<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cIn 2019, Kennedy flew to Samoa, met with government officials and, along with other like-minded advocates, \u2018flooded the area with misinformation\u2019 about vaccines, according to FactCheck.org.  Vaccinations were temporarily halted, 5,600 people contracted measles, and 83 children died.  FactCheck.org concluded: \u2018Kennedy … played a part in one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent memory.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles Times Editorial Board<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cBut the fearmongering on social media landed a hook in Samoan parents, who now had an example of real risk to their children that seemed to outweigh the abstract threat of a disease that had virtually been eradicated from the developed world over the last generation. [\u2026] This is a stark and sad illustration of what can happen when the agents of fear and misinformation (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., we are looking at you) convince caring parents to shun childhood vaccinations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like Trump, Kennedy supports a national abortion ban, which would rip away women\u2019s reproductive freedoms and deny critical health care.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politico<\/a>: \u201cSpeaking to NBC from the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy said, \u2018I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,\u2019 but added: \u2018Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child.\u2019 He said he would sign a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks or 21 weeks of pregnancy if he were elected president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC<\/a>: \u201cA leading conservative anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony List, praised Kennedy\u2019s position in a statement, calling it \u2018a stark contrast to the Democratic Party\u2019s radical stance of abortion on demand. \u2026 Kennedy is one of the few prominent Democrats aligned with the consensus of the people today. Every candidate should be asked, \u2018Where do you draw the line?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cTrump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy\u2019s conspiracy theories include denying the September 11 terrorist attacks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC<\/a>: \u201cIndependent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on social media Friday that it’s \u2018hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn\u2019t\u2019 when it comes to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>:  <\/strong>\u201cIn a new interview on the podcast In the Room With Peter Bergen, produced by Fresh Produce Media for Audible, Kennedy told Bergen he didn\u2019t know whether or not he believes the official government explanation about 9\/11, including whether al-Qaeda was responsible for the attack, asserting \u2018strange things happened.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austin American-Statesman<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cThe post was an apparent reference to Kennedy saying on a podcast last year that he had doubts about the official account of the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, including whether al-Qaida bore responsibility. In the podcast, Kennedy said he was not a 9\/11 expert, nor perhaps the best person to comment on the attacks. But, he added, \u2018I don\u2019t always accept official explanations.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy has refused to disclose basic medical information, including the fact that he once had a parasitic brain worm.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York Times<\/a>: \u201cAbout the same time he learned of the parasite, he said, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing the dangerous heavy metal, which can cause serious neurological issues [\u2026] Mr. Kennedy said he was then subsisting on a diet heavy on predatory fish, notably tuna and perch, both known to have elevated mercury levels. In the interview with The Times, he said that he had experienced \u2018severe brain fog\u2019 and had trouble retrieving words. Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has railed against the dangers of mercury contamination in fish from coal-fired power plants, had his blood tested [\u2026] He also underwent chelation therapy, a treatment that binds to metals in the body so they can be expelled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cKennedy Cover-Up: Failing To Disclose A Brain-Eating Worm And Other Problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy has not denied allegations of sexual assault, instead saying that he\u2019s \u201cnot a church boy.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cRobert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to an accusation that he sexually assaulted a family babysitter at his home by brushing off the incident, asserting that he is not a \u2018church boy\u2019 and had a \u2018very rambunctious youth.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston Globe<\/a>: \u201cA devastating and detailed report by Vanity Fair last week \u2014 including a credible allegation of sexual assault against Kennedy \u2014 provided a fresh setback to the already ailing campaign. Asked if other women might come forward with similar allegations he said, \u2018I don\u2019t know. We\u2019ll see what happens.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to Donald Trump picking conspiracy theorist and misinformation propagandist RFK Jr. to lead HHS, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:  \u201cDonald Trump is threatening the health and safety of every American to reward a notorious liar who has pushed 9\/11 conspiracy theories, backed a national abortion ban, spread disinformation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1049762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-15T15:12:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-15T15:12:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/\",\"name\":\"Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS - Democrats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png?w=1024\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-15T15:12:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-15T15:12:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\",\"name\":\"Democrats\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564\",\"name\":\"Claire DePree\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Claire DePree\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/author\/depreec\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS - Democrats","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_site_name":"Democrats","article_published_time":"2024-11-15T15:12:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-15T15:12:50+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png?w=1024","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Claire DePree","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Claire DePree","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/","name":"Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS - Democrats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png?w=1024","datePublished":"2024-11-15T15:12:49+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-15T15:12:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png","width":1500,"height":500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trump-taps-conspiracy-theorist-and-misinformation-patient-zero-rfk-jr-to-run-hhs-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump Taps Conspiracy Theorist and Misinformation Patient Zero RFK Jr. to Run HHS"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/","name":"Democrats","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564","name":"Claire DePree","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Claire DePree"},"url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/author\/depreec\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/263"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1049762"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1049763,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1049762\/revisions\/1049763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1049762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1049762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1049762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}