Trump and RFK Jr are dismantling public health—aided and abetted by powerful doctors

Abstract

President Donald Trump and secretary of health and human services Robert F Kennedy Jr have held many press events during which they have promoted dangerous health misinformation. 1 2Despite taking an oath to "first do no harm," influential doctors have stood by Trump and RFK Jr's sides during these briefings, lending their support.The wider medical community needs to tackle this phenomenon with evidence based strategies, including warning the public about the risks of misleading information, highlighting scientific consensus, mapping the institutional networks that spread controversial information, and countering them using political and legal strategies. 3 May 2025, RFK Jr announced that the government would no longer recommend the covid-19 vaccine in pregnancy.His advice ignored the evidence to support vaccination in this group 4 and the recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that "all pregnant and lactating individuals receive an updated covid-19 vaccine." 5 Standing by his side were two physicians: Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Martin Makary, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Both doctors were also in the background of Trump's White House briefing on 22 September 2025 when the president told pregnant women: "Don't take Tylenol [paracetamol].Don't take it.Fight like hell not to take it," claiming the drug could cause their child to have autism. 6 His advice was not evidence based, and ACOG criticised it as irresponsible, harmful, and confusing, especially to those who may rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy to manage pain and fever.

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