Robert F Kennedy Jr, chosen as US President-elect Donald Trump‘s secretary of well being and human providers, beforehand voiced robust opposition to Trump, describing him as detrimental to democracy and criticising his management model by July.
Throughout Trump‘s political emergence in 2016, Kennedy’s “Ring of Fireplace” radio programme featured harsh commentary about Trump supporters and drew parallels between Trump and authoritarian leaders like Hitler and Mussolini, suggesting they equally capitalised on societal fears.
In a December 2016 broadcast, Kennedy distinguished Trump from Hitler by noting that “Hitler was eager about coverage.” A complete evaluate by CNN KFile reveals Kennedy’s sustained criticism of Trump all through the years.
In 2019, Kennedy criticised Trump’s administration for appointing trade lobbyists to regulatory positions—the identical sectors Kennedy would oversee if confirmed as HHS secretary.
The HHS function would grant Kennedy oversight of great American healthcare and meals sectors. The division instructions a compulsory proposed finances exceeding $1.7 trillion and manages essential well being organisations together with the CDC, FDA, NIH, and Medicare and Medicaid programmes.
Kennedy has now expressed help for Trump’s management imaginative and prescient and remorse for his earlier remarks, telling CNN he had been misled by mainstream media portrayals of Trump.
Kennedy’s stance in direction of Trump softened after the Democratic Social gathering’s rejection in the course of the 2024 major led him to pursue an impartial candidacy.
Regardless of stating in August he would not serve in Trump’s cupboard, Kennedy later ended his marketing campaign to help Trump. He has since aligned with Trump’s positions on authorities censorship and public well being issues.
The newly found radio broadcasts spotlight Kennedy’s earlier intense criticism, together with accusations of racism in opposition to Trump.
Kennedy accused Trump of manipulating fears and prejudices to construct a nationalist motion, while warning about environmental degradation. He in contrast Trump’s supporters to those that opposed the civil rights motion.
In a December 2016 broadcast, Kennedy analysed Trump’s rhetoric alongside historic demagogues who emerged throughout crises.
Kennedy referenced international financial instability durations that enabled demagogues to achieve energy by concern exploitation, citing examples like Hitler, Franco, Mussolini, Lengthy and Coughlin.
The published included Kennedy’s evaluation of Trump’s fear-based messaging relating to numerous teams, together with Muslims and Barack Obama.
Kennedy drew parallels between Trump and George Wallace, the segregationist Alabama governor.
In March 2016, Kennedy endorsed Matt Taibbi’s critique of Trump’s supporters, studying passages that severely criticised each Trump and his followers.
Kennedy’s environmental criticism included highlighting Trump’s local weather change denial and corporate-friendly insurance policies.
In December 2016, Kennedy mentioned Michael Mann’s article rating Trump because the world’s most damaging local weather denier.
Kennedy continued his criticism by 2019, evaluating Trump’s EPA administrator to apocalyptic figures and condemning Trump’s fossil gasoline insurance policies.