The new Republican war on science

IF I owned a string of pearls, I would be clutching them at the prospect of Robert F Kennedy Jr taking the top health job in a Trump Cabinet. Kennedy has, over many years, voiced an assortment of unorthodox or conspiracist beliefs: that vaccines are linked to autism; that the Covid-19 virus was engineered to target some ethnicities more than others; and that US government agencies suppress treatments that cannot be patented.

The nomination as head of the Department of Health and Human Services is a transactional “thank you” to Kennedy from Donald Trump for giving up his rival presidential bid, though the Senate will need to confirm the pick. Public health officials are in despair; pharma and vaccine stocks have slumped in response.

Kennedy’s proposed appointment emphasises Trump’s disdain for many consensus positions in science and health, particularly those that clash with his deregulation agenda. The incoming president has threatened purges, to be overseen by campaign donor Elon Musk, at federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).