Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s transformation into a fully fledged MAGA disciple appears complete with his confirmation as Donald Trump’s health secretary, as he soon told reporters: “God gave me President Trump.”
Kennedy professed his adulation for the president—whom he had disparaged as a “terrible president” as recently as the summer—at an Oval Office press conference on Thursday.
“For 20 years, I’ve gotten up every morning on my knees and prayed that God would put me in a position where I could end the childhood chronic disease epidemic in this country,” Kennedy said, as Trump looked on, smiling.
“On Aug. 23 of last year, God sent me President Trump,” Kennedy continued, referring to the day that Kennedy endorsed Trump for president and was embraced by MAGA nation.
Kennedy remarked that many people had told him he couldn’t trust Trump, and that he better get any promises “in writing.”
“He’s kept every promise he’s made to me. He’s kept his word on every account and gone way beyond it,” Kennedy said. “I’m so grateful to you, Mr. President.”
He called Trump a “pivotal historical figure” who is going to “transform this country.”
Kennedy had endorsed Trump only after ending his long-shot bid for the presidency—which aimed first at the Democratic nomination, before rebranding as independent.
Nevertheless, the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy quickly became a central figure in Trump’s campaign for the presidency.
When Trump won, Kennedy was named—to immense cross-aisle controversy—the pick for health secretary. Despite concerns over his history of pushing health conspiracy theories, especially the link between vaccines and autism, Kennedy was confirmed in the Senate by a 52-48 margin.
Before teaming up with Trump, Kennedy had been an outspoken critic of the now-president.
In addition to recent criticism, like calling Trump a “terrible president” in July, Kennedy in 2016 went as far as to compare Trump to Adolf Hitler—and other reviled autocratic figures.
The comments, made on Kennedy’s radio show, resurfaced in November, after he was named the health secretary pick.
“Like many Americans, I allowed myself to believe the mainstream media’s distorted, dystopian portrait of President Trump,” Kennedy told CNN at the time. “I no longer hold this belief and now regret having made those statements.”
After signing onto Team Trump, Kennedy adopted his own twist on the president’s infamous slogan: Make America Healthy Again.
Even Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines, whom he allegedly cheated on in a sexting affair with political reporter Olivia Nuzzi, has gotten on board. Her lifestyle brand sold MAHA-branded candles starting in November.
MAHA has become a rallying cry for those who wish to see Kennedy’s vision of America—free of fluoridated water, artificial dyes, and super-processed foods—made a reality.
