Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly recommended that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo be considered for Donald Trump's Cabinet if the former president win Tuesday's presidential election.
Kennedy, whom the Republican presidential candidate has said will "go wild on health" in a second Trump administration, has suggested that Ladapo be considered for Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) secretary, ABC News reported Friday.
The Nigerian-born Ladapo, 45, has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' surgeon general since 2021.
Kennedy told ABC News that Ladapo is among those under consideration to become HHS secretary if Trump should win the election.
"We are still talking to people and he is among the people we are talking to," Kennedy said. "He was willing to question some of the government orthodoxies to not close the schools, to not force people to wear masks, to look actually at the safety data from the vaccines, rather than just accept the words that vaccines are safe and effective."
Kennedy added: "We are still fine-tuning our list."
Lapado has been criticized by many Democrats for how he dealt with the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines.
Ladapo recently questioned the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, including for older adults and people with underlying health problems, NBC News reported.
"Any provider concerned about the health risks associated with COVID-19 for patients over the age of 65 or with underlying health conditions should prioritize patient access to non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and treatment," according to Florida's guidance.
Ladapo last year recommended that Florida residents under the age of 65 not get the COVID-19 vaccines, citing widespread immunity and "questions we have about safety and about effectiveness."
Kennedy has been anti-vaccine since the pandemic.
CNN reported Thursday that Howard Lutnick, co-chair of the Trump-Vance transition team, said he recently spent 2½ hours with Kennedy. Lutnick suggested RFK Jr. would be given federal data in order to check vaccines' safety if Trump is elected.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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