Trump’s strange obsession with appointing the wrong people in the realm of healthcare – PART 1

Donald Trump has recently made a range of appointments in the health sector of the US. They will strongly influence conventional and so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) in the US as well as worldwide. It therefore seems worth to look at the backgrounds and qualifications of these men and women and critically evaluate their fit for leadership roles in healthcare.

In this series of posts, I intend to scrutinize them two by two:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)

1. RFKJr. is an environmental lawyer, former presidential candidate, vocal vaccine skeptic, critic of the pharmaceutical industry, and advocate of the long-debunked assumption that autism is caused by MMR vaccinations. He has no scientific, medical or public health education or training and is a prominent figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, emphasizing chronic disease reduction and agency reform.

He lacks experience managing large bureaucracies or healthcare systems. He has no experience or expertise in running agencies like HHS, which oversees a $1.7 trillion budget and 80,000 employees.

Kennedy’s leadership undermines public trust in immunization programs, potentially increasing preventable disease outbreaks. He aims to purge staff at FDA and NIH and redirect half of NIH’s $48 billion budget to preventive, alternative, and holistic approaches. This will inevitably disrupt scientific research and weaken evidence-based policy-making.  His lack of public health experience and unscientific views pose risks to healthcare access, reproductive rights, and innovation.

In summary, Kennedy’s lack of relevant experience and history of promoting misinformation make him a high-risk choice for HHS. His actions so far indicate that he will significantly disrupt US healthcare and cause long-term damage to the US and beyond. His appointment was not in the best interest of progress and the US public.

Dave Weldon – Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Weldon is an internist, former Republican congressman, and Army veteran. He has 40 years of medical practice but limited public health leadership experience. Weldon’s congressional tenure focused on fiscal and social issues. He has no record of managing public health crises or large agencies.  He has in the past endorsed debunked claims linking thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative for vaccines, to autism thus raising alarms about his alignment with anti-vaccine sentiments and hindering the CDC’s task of promoting immunization. Paul Offit has therefore criticized Weldon’s nomination, noting his lack of traditional public health training.

Trump’s statement that Weldon will “restore the CDC to its true purpose” suggests a focus on transparency and combating corruption. However, as there’s no compelling evidence of systemic corruption in the CDC, this seems akin to the promotion of a conspiracy theory.

In summary, Weldon’s lack of relevant experience and history of promoting misinformation make him an odd choice for the directorship of the CDC. It is to be feared that his appointment will weaken medical progress and the US healthcare system.