Could RFK Jr. prove to be the Trump administration’s secret weapon?
Recent polling shows Americans trust Republicans over Democrats on nearly every major issue confronting our country: the economy, immigration, foreign policy and inflation. The two areas where Democrats hold the upper hand is health care and vaccines.
RFK Jr. has a shot of undermining that advantage, especially with young voters.
Although the Health and Human Services secretary has been relentlessly blasted by the liberal media for being “anti-vaccine” (which Kennedy denies), a great many Americans like Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and agree that corporate interests are helping to make Americans sick and overly reliant on pharmaceuticals.
A poll conducted by NBC News last month (in which Trump earned only a 45 percent job approval) showed that a majority of the country (51 percent) liked what RFK is doing, whereas only 48 percent disapproved. Interestingly, when asked who was to blame for America’s chronic health problems, including obesity and heart disease, a plurality of respondents blamed the food industry.
Much of RFK’s agenda makes sense. A New York Times author last fall set out to debunk five of Kennedy’s main claims about the nation’s health, but ended up supporting three of them. For example, she concluded that “many public health and nutrition experts agree” with his assertion that “Ultraprocessed foods are driving the obesity epidemic, and they should be removed from school lunches.”
On the subject of food dyes, which the HHS secretary says “cause cancer, and ADHD in children,” she wrote, “some small clinical trials have suggested that certain synthetic food dyes may increase hyperactivity in children.” “Many experts agree,” she continued, “it wouldn’t hurt to avoid them.”
How about his suggestion “that consuming too many added sugars, especially from high fructose corn syrup, contributes to childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease?” Answer: “Correct.”
RFK Jr. is shaking up the food industry. In April, the Food and Drug Administration announced it would move to eliminate several petroleum-based dyes, which Kennedy claims can cause cancer and ADHD in kids, by the end of next year. Already, a large number of top brands, including General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, McCormick, Pepsico and Sam’s Club, have taken steps to replace the artificial dyes used in candy, ice cream and other products with natural ingredients, despite the costs of doing so.
The changes are likely to be popular, despite the less alluring colors of mint chip ice cream or Froot Loops. In Canada and Europe, foods colored with artificial dyes are required to carry a warning label. Consequently, manufacturers generally use natural products instead.
Call me crazy, but the fact that so many food companies are making the switch, despite the expense and possibility of lost sales, suggests they know something they’re not publicizing about these dyes and that Kennedy is on the right track.
In May, Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” commission targeted ultra-processed foods in a 69-page report. Ultraprocessed foods, which make up 70-plus percent of Americans’ diet, are made with manufactured rather than natural ingredients and formulated to encourage people to eat more, which adds to our obesity problems.
A study last year of the dietary habits of nearly 10 million people published in the British Medical Journal revealed that exposure to ultra-processed food “was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.” In particular, the study linked ultraprocessed foods to increased incidents of some 30 health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and mental health disorders.
Is Kennedy right to take them on? Absolutely. The wonder is that no one has investigated the industry before this.
It is actually not a puzzle. According to Open Secrets, agribusiness PACs donated nearly $31 million to politicians last year, while food sales and processing firms threw in another $3 million. Moreover, the food industry spilled $16 million on lobbying. That buys a lot of protection.
Meanwhile, RFK Jr.’s concerns over widely prescribed vaccines has been harshly criticized by the medical establishment. The left has accused him of downplaying a measles outbreak in Texas, and talking up cures rather than advocating for increased vaccinations.
But Kennedy has acknowledged that public trust in U.S. vaccine mandates and indeed in our health industries need to be rebuilt. He is right.
That has led to a complete overhaul of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, citing “persistent conflicts of interest” among members of the former board which, he wrote in a recent op-ed, “has never recommended against a vaccine — even those later withdrawn for safety reasons.” Having new, independent researchers take a fresh look at Americans’ vaccine regimen should be welcomed.
Kennedy’s willingness to gore sacred cows and ask tough questions make him popular with young people, and is likely contributing to Republican gains with young male and female Gen-Zers.
A recent Fox News interviewer asked a young influencer why young voters are “flocking to MAHA.” Lexi Vrachalus answered that she and others were alarmed by the rise chronic diseases in their peers — diseases that are preventable with diet and lifestyle choices. Asked about her focus on the gut, she explained, “if we eat bad, we are going to feel bad mentally and physically, so I think it’s crucial that we fuel our bodies with real, whole, single ingredient, unprocessed foods.”
In May, The New York Times published a piece about “The Rise of the ‘Crunchy Teen’ Wellness Influencer” writing, “High schoolers are appealing to other health-conscious kids online, sometimes by expressing views in line with the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement.” The skeptical Times writer found plenty of reason to find the trend concerning, as teens may, for instance, over-emphasize one diet component or another.
But Democrats should find the trend concerning as well, especially as Kennedy’s MAHA program continues to win over young voters.
Liz Peek is a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim and Company.
