RFK Jr. says Trump will recommend removing fluoride from public water if he wins re-election

CNN
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Saturday that Donald Trump’s administration will order fluoride removed from water supplies if the former president wins Tuesday’s presidential election.

Kennedy, who Trump has proposed would oversee the health care portfolio in a potential future administration, wrote in a social media post that the Trump administration would “advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” which he claims is linked to numerous diseases . . A former independent presidential candidate called the element an “industrial waste” – and while fluoride may be a byproduct of some industry, According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventionit also occurs naturally in water and rocks.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will consult the entire United States. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste product linked to arthritis, broken bones, bone cancer, loss of IQ, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease,” Kennedy wrote.

Asked about Kennedy’s comments, senior Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez told CNN: “While President Trump has received a lot of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election.”

State and local governments control most water supplies in municipalities across the country. The CDC recommends community water fluoridation as a cost-effective way to improve residents’ oral health. Exposure to fluoride in doses higher than those recommended by public health over many years can lead to skeletal fluorosis, a condition that causes weakened bones and joint pain. A federal review published in August, the National Institutes of Health’s toxicology program concluded that higher levels of fluoride associated with reduced IQ in children. The program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels approximately twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

Kennedy has a long history of spreading baseless conspiracy theories about the environmental impacts of man-made chemicals. CNN previously reported that Kennedy, an environmental lawyer before entering politics, repeatedly suggested that chemicals in the environment could make children gay or transgender. Such claims have gained traction in fringe circles over the years, thanks in part to prominent conspiracy theorists such as Kennedy and conservative radio host Alex Jones, who famously claimed that chemicals in the water were “making the damn frogs gay.”

Kennedy and Trump both teased the former independent presidential candidate and vaccine advocate in the Trump administration for a broad public health portfolio. Kennedy said during an organizational call last week that Trump told him he would oversee several public health agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture.

At a campaign rally in New York last week, Trump said he would allow Kennedy to “go crazy on health,” “crazy on food” and “crazy on drugs.” At a rally in Michigan on Friday, Trump said Kennedy “will play a big role in health care” and that he has “some views that I very strongly agree with.”

CNN’s Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.