CNNs chief medical correspondent expressed the shock within the medical community following the announcement of Robert F. Kennedys potential health secretary appointment.
Dr Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and the networks top doctor said there was near-unanimous horror in the industry over the anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist potentially becoming the next Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
On The Situation Room on Thursday, Gupta told anchor Wolf Blitzer that RFKs claims about vaccines were especially worrying.
He talked about COVID specifically being bioengineered to attack certain demographics of populations, but when it comes to vaccines and him talking about the connection between vaccines and autism, I think that probably gets the most attention, he said.
He is sometimes tough to pin down because he will say one thing at one time or say something else or say he did not say that. He said in the past there are no vaccines that are safe and effective and said there are some that are probably a good idea. It really revolves around infectious diseases primarily.
CNNs top doctor Sanjay Gupta said there was near-unanimous horror in the medical industry over RFK potentially becoming the next Secretary of Health and Human Services
President-elect Donald Trump is pictured above with Robert F Kennedy Jr at a rally in Arizona in August. Trump selected Kennedy, an environmental activist, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States top health agency
Gupta then revealed many of his peers within the medical community were not pleased upon hearing the news on Kennedys potential appointment.
Its fair to say that the medical community is not monolithic. There are disparate voices here, but they are pretty much in lockstep about the concerns with regard to some of these public health issues and RFK, he said.
The top doctor explained a colleague on that day had told him they could not think of any single individual who would be more damaging to public health than RFK.
Shares of vaccine makers including Pfizer Inc and Moderna fell after news of Kennedys appointment and were down in after-hours trading by as much as 2 per cent.
Kennedy has been criticized for making false medical claims, including that vaccines are linked to autism. He opposed state and federal restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and was accused of spreading misinformation about the virus.
He disputes the anti-vaccine tag, saying he wants more rigorous testing of vaccines instead. However, he chaired the Childrens Health Defense, a nonprofit organization that focuses on anti-vaccine messaging.
In an interview in March, when he was still running for president, Kennedy said Americans who want a vaccine for themselves or their children would continue to have access to them if he were to be elected. But he said he doubted the efficacy of measles vaccines.
Immunization has continued to be the single greatest contributor of any health intervention to ensuring that babies not only see their first birthdays, but they continue leading healthy lives into adulthood, he said.
Guptas statement comes a day after President-elect Donald Trump selected Kennedy, an environmental activist, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States top health agency.
The 70-year-old Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a picture of himself shirtless during his 2024 independent presidential campaign, trying to prove that he was the pinnacle of health without using vaccines
In a post on X, Kennedy vowed to work to end chronic disease, clean up corruption and provide Americans with the data they need to make informed decisions, vowing to Trump he would work to Make America Healthy Again.
Kennedy ran for president in this years election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republicans administration.
Kennedy, the son and nephew of two titans of Democratic politics, has frequently talked about tackling what he calls the chronic disease epidemic of conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism, and reducing chemicals in food.
The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country, Trump said in a post on social media.
Later on Thursday during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Trump praised Kennedy, saying he would do unbelievable things in his new position.
We want you to come up with things and ideas and what youve been talking about for a long time, Trump said, without elaborating.
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees drug regulation, public health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health insurance for more than 140 million people including the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled through Medicare and Medicaid.
The top doctor explained a colleague on that day had told him they could not think of any single individual who would be more damaging to public health than RFK. Pictured: Rebecca Gupta and Dr. Sanjay Gupta attend Jane Fondas 85th Birthday, on November 10, 2022 in Atlanta
Kennedy ran for president in this years election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republicans administration
HHS had a $3.09trillion budget for fiscal year 2024, representing 22.8 per cent of the US federal budget.
Drew Altman, president of health research firm KFF, described the move as historic and said what Kennedy, if confirmed, would ultimately do in the role remains to be seen, given he has not often discussed programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which account for much of the US health budget.
Historically, secretaries have been people with real experience and standing in national healthcare and he certainly is not that, and has views from outside the mainstream, and is a renegade appointment, Altman said.
The appointment, which had been seen as a possibility for weeks, raised concern among some public health advocates who said Kennedy could have a negative role in Americans health given his power over these agencies. The Democratic Party decried the decision.
Some politicians and business groups supported the nomination, such as the National Community Pharmacists Association, which said it was encouraged by his willingness to take on corporations.
The controversial pick comes just a day after Trump stunned Democrats and Republicans alike with his seemingly sudden choice of Matt Gaetz to be U.S. attorney general.
Gaetz, who resigned his seat as a Florida congressman hours after Wednesdays announcement amid a roiling probe by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and bribery.
He is a MAGA firebrand who has taken aim at fellow House members form both parties and led the coup against former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican senators have publicly and privately expressed shock over the nomination.