Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a possible candidate for a role in Donald Trump’s Cabinet, should Trump retake the White House – claims that a new Trump administration would immediately discourage the use of fluoride in public water systems in the US.
Kennedy, a former presidential candidate who has endorsed Trump and a prominent vaccine skeptic, suggested this would happen on the first day of a new Trump administration.
For decades, U.S. health authorities have recommended adding a small amount of fluoride to the drinking water supply to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride at such a low dose is generally considered both safe and effective at protecting oral health.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease,” Kennedy wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kennedy’s comments.
Trump and Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who sought to counter his criticism of the COVID vaccine during his presidential campaign, have both taken on health-focused roles for him — possibly a post leading health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At his rally last weekend at Madison Square Garden, Trump said he would let Kennedy “go wild on health, … go wild on medicine.” On Friday, Trump said in Nevada that Kennedy would also be “responsible for women’s health.”
Kennedy told his supporters, according to a video obtained by CNN, that he might gain control of more than one health care-focused agency.
“President Trump has promised me … control over public health authorities, which they are [the Health and Human Services Department] and its sub-agencies … and then also the [Department of Agriculture]which is essential to making America healthy. Because we need to get rid of seed oil and pesticide-intensive agriculture,” Kennedy reportedly said.
