President Donald Trump defended Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. against criticism from the political establishment, remarking that Kennedy has “a lot of good ideas.”
Speaking with Breitbart News during a press gaggle on the White House South Lawn on Sunday before leaving for the U.S. Open final, Trump was asked about the wave of attacks directed at Kennedy by figures such as Chris Christie, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and others.
“Well, he’s a different kind of a guy,” Trump told Breitbart News. “He’s got a lot of good ideas, but he’s got a lot of ideas. You know, normally, they don’t have any ideas, and that’s why we have problems with autism and so many other things, because we’re coming up with the answers for autism. You watch.”
“We’re coming up with the answers for other things that normal people, regular people, easy to get along with people, wouldn’t be able to do. He’s got a lot of ideas, and so do I, and we’re going to clean it up,” Trump added.
Last month, Kennedy moved to revoke the emergency use authorizations for the coronavirus vaccines, though he allowed them to remain available to those who choose to receive them after consulting with their doctors. He also insisted that pharmaceutical companies must provide placebo-controlled trials. Trump, for his part, demanded openness from the drug industry regarding the effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments just last week.
Kennedy also appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, where he faced sharp questioning from establishment Democrats including Wyden and Warren, but managed to hold his ground.
During one notable moment, Kennedy confronted Warren for taking campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, pointing out that while vaccines remain accessible to Americans, they are not appropriate for every individual. “I never promised that I was going to recommend products for which there is no indication, and I know you’ve taken $855,000 from pharmaceutical companies, senator,” Kennedy said to Warren, while stressing that he was not removing vaccines from public availability.
The attacks against him did not stop there. On Sunday, Chris Christie escalated the criticism, dismissing Kennedy as “foolish” and “wholly unqualified” during an appearance on ABC’s This Week.
{Matzav.com}
