RFK Jr. promised the American public a lot during his campaign for the presidency and subsequent endorsement of President Donald Trump. Despite being a conspiracy theorist in many regards, he was vocal about the dismal state of the American food system. However, after spending almost 6 months in office, he has accomplished little to nothing outside of publishing AI-generated research studies and supporting anti-vaccination stances. While I previously speculated that RFK Jr. may not be entirely insane, it appears that he has since entered his flop era.
Despite his promises to overhaul the American food system in a bid to “Make America Healthy Again,” RFK Jr. has only been successful in removing synthetic food dyes from various ultra-processed foods and applauding a fast food chain that fries their ultra-processed French fries in beef tallow. Removing certain ingredients from ultra-processed foods only addresses the issue on a shallow basis, devoid of scientific knowledge and ignores the main reason why ultra-processed foods are harmful to our health; namely, their high level of processing. Often, synthetic flavors and dyes are added to ultra-processed foods to cover up unsavory tastes and colors that result from the food being mechanically processed. Removing synthetic flavorings and colorings does nothing to change the nutritional composition of the food except for giving the ultra-processed foods industry yet another health label to confuse customers with.
Meanwhile, RFK Jr. has been waging war on vaccinations, to the ire of CDC officials and the American public. Despite previously promising to leave vaccinations up to individual choice, he has since defunded research for mRNA vaccines and withdrawn federal recommendations for the flu vaccine. Even though mRNA research for cancer and genetic disorders has not been defunded, the fear-mongering around mRNA vaccines comes from an inherent misunderstanding of mRNA as a naturally occurring biological molecule. Furthermore, while rescinding federal recommendations does not mean that the vaccine won’t be available for those who still wish to take it, insurance companies may no longer cover the vaccine, impacting those who cannot afford to pay out of pocket the most.
Despite what RFK Jr. may say about “Making America Healthy Again,” his actions speak louder than his words. His anti-vaccine rhetoric is hurting young children and the elderly, which are the groups who seek to gain the most from herd immunity granted by vaccination. His unscientific beliefs have emboldened violent people, like the man who opened fire at the CDC headquarters. His eccentric beliefs, which he masqueraded as being misunderstood at the time he took office, now pose dangerous real-life consequences that could unravel years of public health progress in the United States.
