He is the most influential anti-vaxxer in the world, one of the “Disinformation Dozen.” He is an AIDS denier who has revived old conspiracy theories about HIV. He claims that Covid was “ethnically targeted” to spare certain groups of people and that Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates are part of a “vaccine cartel” that produces fake studies in order to impose global lockdowns and 5G. And now, he is Trump’s pick to lead Health and Human Services, overseeing health agencies that cover food and drug regulation, infectious and chronic disease prevention, health research, Medicare and Medicaid, and more.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised to empty entire departments and change the focus of public health to his pet projects—banning everything from Cheez-Its and mayonnaise to water fluoridation and children’s sunscreen while promoting raw milk, ivermectin, and supplements. But his biggest legacy has been seeding mistrust and fear about vaccines among the American public. As recently as last summer, he’s said vaccines cause autism, a lie that was thoroughly debunked decades ago, and he’s said the Covid vaccine is the “deadliest vaccine ever made” based on, apparently, mortality data from Covid itself. As the nation’s top health official, Kennedy could vastly reduce vaccination rates in this country—and even reduce the availability of the vaccines themselves.

“I think many of us are worried that this lack of basic training, concerning comments regarding public health interventions, and anti-vaccine sentiments, are all going to impact support for vaccine development and access, translating to significant public health risks while undermining trust in public health,” Saskia Popescu, assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told me.

Once RFK Jr. has access to federal data on vaccine safety and efficacy, he’ll be able to prove vaccines aren’t safe, Howard Lutnick, co-chair of Trump’s transition team, said two weeks ago. “And then if you pull the product liability, the companies will yank these vaccines right off of the market.” Lutnik seemed to be referring to a law Congress passed in 1986 that shielded vaccine makers from liability after concerns about the safety of a vaccine (later proven to be unfounded) caused some manufacturers to stop making vaccines for fear of........

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