Trump says he’ll let RFK Jr ‘do what he wants’ with women’s healthcare if he’s elected

Donald Trump said that he’d let Robert F Kennedy Jr “do what he wants” with women’s healthcare if he returns to the White House.

Despite reluctance to announce an official cabinet role for RFK Jr, the former president has continued to promise his one-time third-party presidential rival free rein over health, food and medicines during his potential second administration.

At his penultimate rally of his presidential campaign in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Trump doubled down that RFK Jr – whom he colloquially calls “Bobby” – can almost do whatever he wants with one area he’s particularly passionate about: women’s health and wellbeing.

“Bobby’s gonna pretty much do what he wants. I want him to do something important for our country. It makes people healthier. We have obesity, we have every problem you can have. Bobby feels very strongly about it,” Trump said to cheers from the crowd.

“The only thing I told him though, ‘Bobby you’ve gotta do one thing, you do whatever you want you just go ahead. Work on the pesticides, work on the making…’ women’s health, he’s so into women’s health. And you know it’s really unbelievable, it’s such a passion,” Trump said weaving from one topic to another.

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The former president did lay down one condition to RFK Jr, a one-time environmental lawyer and climate change conspiracy theorist.

“I said, ‘Bobby, leave the liquid gold to me. Don’t trample on our liquid gold because we have more than any other country in the world by far. Just close your eyes and let me make this country rich as hell,’” he said.

There is, however, another liquid that Trump has suggested he would give RFK Jr control over: the nation’s drinking water supply.

RFK Jr last week revealed his plans to remove fluoride from drinking water. On Sunday, the former president said that RFK Jr’s idea “sounds OK to me” in a call with NBC News’ Dasha Burnings.

Both the Center of Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association say that low-levels of the mineral is a safe way to prevent tooth decay.

Trump also refused to rule out potential plans from RFK Jr – a vocal anti-vaxxer – to ban some vaccines, despite World Health Organization estimations that global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives in the past 50 years.

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Last week, RFK Jr said that Trump had “promised” him control over public health agencies – including the CDC and Food and Drug Administration, adding that he would make his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda a priority.

Trump’s bid to give RFK Jr power over women’s health comes as abortion rights are a key issue on the ballot this election.

The Republican presidential candidate has repeatedly taken credit for appointing three justices to the Supreme Court that made the landmark ruling to overturn Roe v Wade in June 2022 – wiping out the constitutional right to abortion.

In September’s presidential debate, Trump said that he will not sign a federal abortion ban into law, leaving it to states to decide. Weeks earlier, he did say he would vote “no” on Florida’s six-week abortion ban amendment, which is on Tuesday’s ballot.

Trump has also tried to claim he is a “protector” of women – whether they “like it or not.”