RFK’s promise to ‘Make America Healthy Again’

Why has Trump's presumptive HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s message on vaccines, pharmaceuticals and ultraprocessed foods resonated with so many Americans?

Air Date: November 19, 2024 12:00 pm

FILE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to reporters at the Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, N.Y. on Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, Pool)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is President-elect Donald Trump’s presumptive nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He’s repeatedly questioned vaccines and promoted junk science, but struck a chord with people on both extremes of the political spectrum with his promise to “Make America Healthy Again”. His message? Take on Big Pharma and Big Food to reduce our country’s chronic disease epidemic.

Some of his plans, like removing fluoride from drinking water, used to be considered fringe conspiracy theories. But, his popularity suggests that distrust in major health institutions and experts is at an all-time high.

Our guests this hour are Dr. Zeke Emanuel, Vice provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, Jasyra Santiago-Hines, a holistic registered nurse and content creator from Philadelphia, and Dr. Nyree Dardarian, a registered dietician and professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University.

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