PHOENIX -- PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr ., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives , said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride. “On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.
S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.” The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, "He’s going to have a big role in the administration.
” Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about tha.