Robert F Kennedy Jr: Who is the man who could become Donald Trump’s health chief?
Mr Kennedy, who initially stood as an independent candidate before backing Mr Trump, has claimed the next US president will push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.
Robert F Kennedy Jr unsuccessfully stood as a presidential candidate earlier this year, but has more recently become one of Donald Trump’s most prominent backers.
In return for his support, President-elect Trump pledged to give him a role were he to win the election with speculation he could be handed responsibility for health initiatives.
Last week, Mr Kennedy claimed Mr Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.
“On 20 January, the Trump White House will advise all US​ water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy said in a post on X.
Asked about the comments by NBC, Mr Trump said “it sounds OK to me”.
Mr Trump has said Mr Kennedy will have “a big role in the administration” but declined to say whether that would be a cabinet role, which would need to be approved by the Senate.
The politician made a name for himself as an anti-vaxxer during the pandemic.
But he has a history of repeating debunked claims, including linking vaccines with autism in children.
At an event in January 2022, he compared the US’ vaccine mandates to Nazi laws.
Asked whether banning certain vaccines could be on the cards during a second term, Mr Trump said he would talk to Mr Kennedy about it and called him “a very talented guy” who has “strong views”.
‘Ferocious critic’
Mr Kennedy, who is the nephew of former president John F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, initially stood as an independent candidate for president.
His father, Robert F Kennedy, was himself assassinated in 1968 during his own run for president.
Prior to RFK Jr’s endorsement, Mr Trump had pledged to set up an independent commission on assassination attempts after an attempt on his own life during the campaign.
The commission would be required to release the remaining redacted documents related to the assassination of Mr Kennedy’s uncle.
He said in a speech that, while he was a “ferocious critic” of Mr Trump, they had found common ground over a desire to end the war in Ukraine.
But his family criticised him for lending his support to Mr Trump, calling it a “betrayal” of the family’s values and describing it as “a sad ending to a sad story”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Mr Kennedy’s campaign was not without its controversy, after he admitted abandoning a dead bear cub in Central Park.
Speaking during a Trump campaign event, Mr Kennedy also admitted he was being investigated for cutting off the head of a dead whale with a chainsaw 30 years ago.
In a 2012 interview which later emerged, Mr Kennedy said cognitive issues he had been experiencing were “caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”.
Read more:
Starmer joins world leaders in congratulating Trump
Donald Trump’s victory in maps and charts
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
In July, Mr Kennedy’s son Bobby Kennedy III posted footage of his father speaking with Mr Trump on the phone.
During the call, the Republican candidate told Mr Kennedy: “I would love you to do something – and I think it would be so good for you and so big for you.”
The 70-year-old later apologised for the leak, which appeared to reference a role for Mr Kennedy in Mr Trump’s administration.
