I was surprised when I heard that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by President Donald Trump, given Kennedy’s long history of challenging Big Pharma, Big Food and corporate influences on public health. I was also surprised that Trump would give him the position, considering Trump’s dislike of regulation and his hyper-pro-business, deregulation-focused and free-market ideology.
Trump says that Kennedy will “Make America Healthy Again”, but this could be problematic, as Kennedy’s program for doing so may clash with Trump’s fundamental beliefs.
Kennedy says he will introduce stricter food labelling, regulate Big Pharma and Big Food practices and promote healthier diets that reduce reliance on processed foods. But these initiatives will pose a direct challenge to the corporations that thrive under a deregulation-focused government.
In his first term as president, Trump generally opposed food or drug regulations, arguing that they stifle business and innovation. He also reversed environmental and public health regulations, favouring economic expansion over government intervention.
So this raises an obvious question: If Kennedy introduces policies that disrupt the profits of Big Food, Big Pharma or other corporate giants, will Trump fire him?
I think he could—unless, of course, Kennedy accommodates Trump by maintaining only a “light touch” approach, such as introducing public awareness campaigns to educate consumers rather than introducing regulations and standards. He might also encourage voluntary corporate responsibility instead of introducing regulations. This would allow Trump to claim progress on public health without upsetting his billionaire funders.
For now, it is unclear whether Kennedy will compromise his long-held ideals or end up in conflict with Trump’s deregulation-focused stance.
