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After facing public backlash, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tried to explain his praise for conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being named as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to direct the Department of Health and Human Services.
While many health experts expressed fear and concern about Trump’s decision to name the outspoken anti-vaxxer to the position, Polis literally could not contain his excitement Thursday, posting at length on X that he’s “excited” because Kennedy “helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA.”
The Democratic governor went on, “I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health.” Polis picked out quotes from Kennedy that he agreed with, including quotes saying “entire departments” of HHS should be eliminated, calling for a cap on drug prices and for getting off “pesticide-intensive agriculture.”
Now, are there ways that HHS could be improved? Sure. But as physician Benjamin Mazer said in a recent article for The Atlantic, there’s no reason to believe Kennedy and his quack theories are capable of bringing about improvements of that sort.
For example, what possible benefits could the nation derive from Kennedy’s bigoted claim that Covid-19 was engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, or his other bigoted, homophobic claim that chemicals in the water are making kids gay and altering their gender identity — especially given that neither are remotely true? How does one square Kennedy’s suggestion that the United States needs a “break” from studying infectious diseases with the fact that HHS literally includes the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy?
What makes Polis’ tweet all the more confusing is that his stance on Kennedy’s participation in a prospective Trump administration seems to have changed in a few short months. He posted back in August to suggest Kennedy’s ideas would cause a spike in polio and measles cases.
After facing backlash, including from Hawaii’s Democratic Gov. Josh Green, Polis tried to explain himself:
Re my thoughts on @RobertKennedyJr, Science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety. But if as a country we follow the science we would also be far more concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health, ag policy on nutrition, and the lack of access to prescription drugs due to drug high prices. This is why I am for a major shake-up in institutions like the FDA that have been barriers to lowering drug costs and promoting healthy food choices. Lest there by any doubt, I am vaccinated as is my family. I will hold any HHS Secretary to the same high standard of protecting and improving public health.
Again, some of that sounds good. But Polis still doesn’t seem to sense the danger in entrusting this kind of power and responsibility to a deluded anti-science activist who has said part of his brain was eaten by a worm.