WASHINGTON — The youngsters seen by Dolores Mejia in suburban Phoenix have gotten heavier lately. Even their dad and mom, he says.
Mejia, a 75-year-old retiree, says she too has had bother with the load on the size.
That’s why Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s promise to “Make America Healthy Again” whereas campaigning alongside Donald Trump caught his consideration. She preferred the questions Kennedy raised in regards to the function of processed meals in America’s weight problems epidemic.
“I’m a junk meals particular person,” stated Mejia, an ardent Trump supporter. “I began questioning the place these further kilos got here from.”
After listening to from Kennedy, he concluded, “We cannot belief the well being organizations we have trusted for years to inform us that our meals are secure.”
Republicans like Mejia have embraced Kennedy, whose alliance with the president-elect may make the distinguished environmentalist and vaccine skeptic the nation’s high well being official subsequent 12 months. Republicans have an especially constructive view of Kennedy, and most approve of Trump’s resolution to incorporate him in his administration, based on a latest ballot by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AP VoteCast, a survey of greater than 120,000 voters within the United States. 2024 presidential election.
But Americans general are much less constructive about Kennedy, and there may be not broad assist for a few of his views, which embody nearer scrutiny of vaccines.
If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy shall be tasked with main the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1.7 trillion company that researches most cancers, approves prescribed drugs and supplies medical insurance to about half the nation.
What Americans consider RFK Jr. because the nation’s high well being official
According to an AP-NORC ballot carried out in December, about 6 in 10 Republicans approve of Kennedy’s appointment to Trump’s cupboard and just one in 10 disapprove, whereas the remaining have no idea him or haven’t any opinion.
Kennedy’s speech about wholesome meals is what caught the eye of Natalie Moralez, a 32-year-old engineer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who identifies as an unbiased.
She likes his guarantees to tackle highly effective corporations. And she’s wanting to see him problem the components they use within the meals he finds on grocery store cabinets.
“Even simply shopping for meals from the grocery store, and what else is in there?” Moralez stated. “That’s my principal concern and I hope he can determine what the underlying points are and see if we will do higher.”
Kennedy does not fare as effectively amongst Americans general, with about 4 in 10 U.S. adults disapproving and about 3 in 10 approving of his nomination.
Although Kennedy is a member of one of the vital highly effective Democratic dynasties within the nation, most Democrats stated they didn’t recognize the truth that he was appointed to Trump’s Cabinet. According to the December ballot, about 6 in 10 Democrats “strongly disapprove” of the selection. This is the next disapproval fee than different high-profile selections corresponding to Pete Hegseth for secretary of Defense or Marco Rubio for secretary of State.
His anti-vaccine stance shouldn’t be very talked-about
Kennedy started his profession as an environmental lawyer and gained giant lawsuits in opposition to corporations over chemical compounds utilized in weed killers and heavy metallic smelters.
But lately he has attracted a large and dependable following for his claims that vaccines, really useful and supported by the nation’s public well being companies, are harmful. Nonetheless, many years of analysis, laboratory checks and real-world use show that childhood vaccinations have prevented hundreds of thousands of deaths.
“There is not any vaccine that’s secure and efficient,” Kennedy stated in a podcast in July 2023. During a Fox News interview the identical 12 months, he stated he believes the repeatedly discredited notion that vaccines could cause autism. In latest days, Trump has more and more recommended that the hyperlink between autism and vaccines must be studied, despite the fact that many years of analysis have already concluded that there isn’t any hyperlink between the 2.
Allies of Trump and Kennedy have vowed to not remove vaccines, as an alternative saying they oppose authorities mandates and need to conduct extra vaccine analysis.
But based on AP VoteCast, about half of voters need the federal government to be extra concerned in guaranteeing youngsters are vaccinated in opposition to childhood ailments.
Around 1 / 4 imagine the federal government’s present involvement on this space is “honest” and solely round 2 in 10 would love the federal government to be much less concerned. But dad and mom of school-age youngsters had been considerably extra prone to assist a smaller authorities function: About 3 in 10 dad and mom with youngsters below 18 needed the federal government to be much less concerned, in contrast with about 2 in 10 voters with out youngsters below 18 years.
Among Trump voters, a few third would love the federal government to be much less concerned in guaranteeing youngsters are vaccinated in opposition to childhood ailments.
The same share needed extra authorities involvement, and about 3 in 10 stated its involvement was proper. About 4 in 10 Trump voters who’re dad and mom of youngsters below 18 stated they needed the federal government to be much less concerned in guaranteeing youngsters are vaccinated, whereas a few third stated they needed it to be extra concerned.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, at the moment has a lawsuit pending in opposition to a variety of information organizations, together with the AP, accusing them of violating antitrust legal guidelines by performing to establish misinformation, together with about COVID-19 and COVID -19. vaccines. Kennedy took depart of the group when he introduced his run for president, however is listed as one in all its attorneys within the lawsuit.
Most Republican voters preferred RFK Jr., most Democrats did not
According to AP VoteCast, individuals who voted within the presidential race this November had differing opinions of Kennedy.
By then Kennedy had dropped out of the presidential race, throwing his assist behind Trump, however remained on the poll in some states.
About 4 in 10 voters had a really or considerably favorable opinion of Kennedy, and about 4 in 10 voters had a really or considerably unfavorable opinion. Just over 1 in 10 did not know sufficient about Kennedy to have an opinion.
Republican voters — about two-thirds — had been extra prone to have a positive opinion of Kennedy, a lot larger than the roughly 2 in 10 Democrats who seen him favorably. Meanwhile, about 7 in 10 Democrats had an unfavorable opinion of Kennedy, with about half saying they’d a “very unfavorable” opinion.
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