Truth Decay: Why Trump and RFK Jr. Are Bad for Black Health

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended his longshot 2024 presidential marketing campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump, each males made it clear: they’re a package deal deal.

If he wins the election, Trump has mentioned Kennedy — a libertarian environmentalist, conspiracy theorist and vaccine skeptic — may have a spot in his cupboard. Certainly, Trump has mentioned he’ll let Kennedy “go wild” on public well being coverage. 

Kennedy desires to make use of that energy to enact a variety of controversial strikes that will be dangerous to Black folks, from eradicating fluoride from the general public water provide to selling anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, a few of which have been aimed on the Black neighborhood. 

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Whereas each males acknowledge their concepts aren’t totally shaped, the alliance between Trump — who as soon as theorized that COVID-19 may very well be handled with injections of bleach — and Kennedy, who believes the pandemic vaccine was created to assault the Black neighborhood, has some medical and public well being consultants sounding the alarm.  

Longtime Public Well being Coverage

The difficulty burst into the nationwide dialog this weekend when Kennedy dropped a social media submit declaring that if Trump is re-elected, the brand new administration “will advise all U.S. water programs to take away fluoride from public water.”

Fluoride, he wrote, “is an industrial waste related to arthritis, bone fractures, bone most cancers, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental problems, and thyroid illness.”

Talking with NBC Information, Trump mentioned the plan “sounds OK to me.”

Municipalities have added fluoride to public consuming water programs since 1945. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention described these public water fluoridation efforts, and vaccines, as among the many prime 10 public well being achievements of the twentieth Century.   

The backlash to Kennedy didn’t take lengthy. 

Eliminating fluoride may very well be a giant downside for Individuals usually and Black Individuals specifically. Analysis has discovered Black Individuals have worse oral well being than their white friends, and they’re extra inclined to illnesses which are worsened by poor oral well being.  

“The ADA is conscious there’s widespread misinformation circulating on-line and in social media round neighborhood water fluoridation,” the group mentioned in September. ”The Affiliation urges its members and the general public to be cautious of “pseudo-scientific info,” the group says.  

And there’s extra proof that the well being of Black Individuals may worsen with Kennedy working in a second Trump administration. 

Conspiracies and Racist Tropes

The son of Sen. Robert Kennedy and nephew to President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy Jr. has lengthy been a vaccine skeptic. As a presidential candidate, his healthcare platform was lengthy on conspiracies and racist tropes however brief on precise insurance policies or options.  

For many years Kennedy has promoted conspiracy theories claiming vaccines in opposition to childhood illnesses trigger autism. And in 2021, Kennedy produced a movie known as “Medical Racism: The New Apartheid” that exploited the historical past of medical racism in the USA to argue COVID-19 vaccines had been meant to hurt Black communities. 

The COVID mortality charge for Black Individuals is double that of whites and one-third increased than for Latinos. Analysis findings are that COVID triggered greater than 1.6 million extra deaths of Black Individuals.  

Medical consultants and scientists extensively dispute Kennedy’s views on vaccines and rumors a couple of hyperlink between the MMR vaccine and autism had been proved unfaithful and primarily based on fraudulent analysis.  

Public well being consultants be aware that vaccination has been a traditionally efficient public well being instrument  and has worn out or diminished the prevalence of illnesses, together with smallpox, polio, and measles, based on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.  

‘Can’t Change Human Nature’

Throughout his marketing campaign RFK, Jr. was resigned to the truth that racism exists and proposed fuzzy options.  

“We’re by no means going to get rid of racism … We’re hardwired to search for variations in different folks after which to basically follow racism. I don’t suppose you may change that human nature, however what you are able to do is you may make children resilient in opposition to it,” mentioned Kennedy. “The best way you do that’s by giving them an ideal schooling in order that they know that they’ve potential.” 

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Nonetheless, vaccines are required for kids to attend public faculties and Black youngsters are much less prone to be totally vaccinated than white youngsters.  

Neither Trump nor Kennedy have particular ‘proposals that will develop healthcare entry for Black Individuals, who’re much less prone to have medical insurance than whites. Trump additionally has put the Reasonably priced Care Act in his crosshairs, regardless that it’s been largely profitable and has helped extra lower-income and Black folks get insurance coverage. 

The hazard of the Trump-Kennedy alliance “extends past politics to public well being,” Kavita Patel, a doctor and nonresident fellow on the Brookings Establishment who has suggested the Harris marketing campaign, instructed The Washington Publish. “This rhetoric may erode belief in important well being measures, probably leaving thousands and thousands weak if these concepts translate into coverage.”