RFK Jr. says the Trump White House would immediately push to remove fluoride from water

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic who has promoted conspiracy theories in the past, is poised to play a key role in health care policy in a future Trump administration. Since dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Trump, Kennedy has made frequent appearances on the campaign trail, advocating for the former president, and Trump said at a rally this week that if elected, Kennedy “will be pro-health and “will benefit women’s health.” ”

Trump hugged Kennedy. At an event in Arizona earlier this week, the former president said Kennedy “can do anything he wants” in a potential Trump administration.

“He really wants to deal with the pesticides and all the other things. I said, 'He can do it.' He can do whatever he wants.' He wants to look at the vaccines. He wants – everything. I think it's great. I think it’s great,” Trump said.

In late October, Trump said it was “a great honor” to have Kennedy as an ally.

“I will let him take his health. I'll let him let off steam while eating. “I’m going to let him go wild with medication,” Trump said at the event.

Kennedy, a former independent presidential candidate, has pushed widely debunked theories about the link between vaccinations and autism. He had also previously said he would support a nationwide ban on abortion after three months of pregnancy, before quickly walking back his comments.

When asked for comment on Kennedy's proposal, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez did not pledge to support the plan.

“While President Trump has received a variety of policy ideas, he is focused on Tuesday’s election,” Alvarez said in a statement.

Major health groups such as the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support water fluoridation, citing studies that show the mineral helps fight tooth decay. Health groups also emphasize that the practice is safe.

“Water fluoridation is an equitable and cost-effective way to ensure that dental disease prevention reaches everyone in a community,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

The Academy's Dental Health Campaign also says on its website: “There is no scientifically valid evidence that fluoride causes cancer, kidney disease or other disorders.”

According to the CDC website, fluoride helps make teeth “stronger and more resistant to tooth decay,” and drinking fluoridated water “reduces tooth decay in children and adults by about 25%.”

“Documented risks of community water fluoridation are limited to dental fluorosis, a change in tooth enamel that in its most common form is cosmetic in nature. The changes range from barely visible, lacy white markings in milder cases to pitting on the teeth in the rare, severe form,” the CDC website says, noting that most dental fluorosis seen in the U.S. today is “the mildest form”.

Likewise, the American Dental Association says on its website that water fluoridation is “safe and effective.”

“Through more than 70 years of research and practical experience, the overwhelming body of credible scientific evidence has consistently shown that fluoridation of municipal water supplies is safe,” says a fact sheet on the association’s website.

Water fluoridation is not ubiquitous and the CDC does not mandate fluoridation programs. Some cities have pushed to end public water fluoridation programs as groups argue it should be up to them to decide whether they want fluoride in public water supplies.