There’s long been some ambiguity about what role conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would play in Donald Trump’s second term. Ahead of Election Day, the Republican said Kennedy “can do anything he wants” and will be empowered to “go wild,” but in practical terms, no one has been able to say with confidence exactly what that means.
It was against this backdrop that Kennedy spoke to NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard and pointed to existing federal agencies he intends to target.
He said that he would address the corruption by clearing out departments of federal workers who he believes haven’t been doing their jobs — ‘entire departments’ in some cases. Kennedy said the nutrition departments at the Food and Drug Administration ‘have to go’ because its workers are ‘not doing their job.’
In the same interview, he added, “I think fluoride is on its way out.” (As recently as Sunday, Trump said a ban on fluoride in drinking water “sounds OK to me.”)
As for what kind of role RFK Jr. will play in the administration, Hillyard asked what role he requested. “I didn’t tell them,” he replied. “I’ve told them that I want to think about it.”
Asked if he’d like to be nominated to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy added, “I don’t know if that’s the post that I want. I may be more effective in the White House as a health czar or something like that. But we don’t know. We haven’t decided. We’re meeting today on these issues.”
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida appeared on CNN after the race was called and was asked whether a GOP-led Senate would be comfortable confirming the conspiracy theorist to a powerful federal role. “Well, I think the Senate is going to give great deference to a president that just won a stunning, what I think is an electoral college landslide, when all is said and done, and a mandate,” Rubio replied. “He’s being given a mandate to govern. And I think presidents given a mandate to govern deserve from the Senate the opportunity to surround themselves with people that are going to help them execute their policies.” In other words, yes.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post
Recommended
