Trump may ban fluoridated water now elected

One of Donald Trump’s inner-circle, who claims the president-elect has given him control over public health policy, has made a bold call.

Donald Trump’s election victory and return to the White House will likely bring a radical shake-up to the nation’s public health policy.

With the rise in prominence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Mr Trump’s inner circle of advisers, there are concerns that the influence of the former attorney general, who has repeatedly claimed vaccines are linked to autism, may lead to major shifts in policy.

But despite Mr Trump saying he’d “talk to (RFK Jr.)” and “make a decision” about banning vaccines if elected, Mr Kennedy said on Wednesday that he won’t be taking away vaccines.

“I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines,” he told NBC News when asked if there were specific vaccines that he wanted off the market.

RFK Jr. then rejected the idea that he was “anti-vaccine” despite being vocal about the theory linking them to autism, which has been debunked by scientists.

“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away. People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information,” he said.

“So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”

RFK Jr., who was a former independent candidate before he dropped his bid and endorsed Mr Trump, will meet with senior Trump aides on Wednesday to discuss what his role will be moving forward.

Mr Trump told NBC earlier in the week that he would play a “significant role in the administration” if he won the presidential election. “He can do anything he wants.”

At a recent rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden, he said he would let him “go wild on food”, “go wild on medicines” and suggested he could also work on “women’s health”.

RFK Jr. said in recent days that Mr Trump had “promised” him control over a broad range of public health agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration if he were re-elected.

He said today that they hadn’t yet confirmed what his job would be in the Trump administration, but he liked the idea of being a “White House health czar”.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump shake hands during a campaign rally. Picture: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images/AFP

Three days before the election, Mr Trump said RFK Jr. was “a very talented guy and has strong views”.

One of those views concerns America’s drinking water.

RFK Jr. posted on X that a Trump administration would “advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water” on its first day.

However, he emphasised that he wouldn’t force its removal, just remind water districts “about their legal liability” to protect constituents.

He has linked fluoride with various illnesses such as cancer, even though major medical associations advocate for water fluoridation, saying it’s beneficial for public health and reduced tooth decay by at least 25 per cent.

When NBC asked Mr Trump for his opinion on getting rid of water fluoridation, he responded: “Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds okay to me.

“You know, it’s possible.”

Donald Trump suggested vaccines could be banned if he became president. Picture: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/AFP

Trump campaign co-chair Howard Lutnick reinforced the significance of RFK Jr.’s views in a potential Trump administration.

In an interview with CNN, he mentioned that RFK Jr. could be granted access to federal data on vaccine safety.

“Let’s give him the data. I think it’ll be pretty cool to give him the data. Let’s see what he comes up with. I think it’s pretty fun,” Mr Lutnick said.

RFK Jr. speaks during a campaign rally for Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

A bitter feud erupted in the Kennedy family over RFK Jr.’s decision to drop out of the presidential race in August and endorse Donald Trump.

“I was surprised to discover that we are aligned on many key issues,” he said.

He is the son of former Attorney-General and presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy, who was the brother of President John F. Kennedy.

The brothers were both assassinated, JFK in 1963 and Bobby in 1968.

Originally published as Trump may ban fluoridated water now elected