by Sharon Rondeau
(Sep. 7, 2024) — Philanthropist, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and health-freedom advocate Steve Kirsch, an early proponent of the presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on Saturday published his vision of how to “make America healthy again” in contrast to a plan Kennedy put forth in a September 5 editorial in The Wall Street Journal.
“Let me know which plan you like better,” Kirsch encouraged his Substack audience.
Though Kennedy’s article is behind a paywall, Kirsch reproduced the 12-point plan, which includes redirecting “half of research budgets” awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to “preventive, alternative and holistic approaches to health,” lowering U.S. drug prices to the range Europeans pay, and prohibiting recipients of SNAP funds from using them to purchase “soda or processed foods,” among other initiatives.
The idea of Kennedy’s serving in a second Trump administration has been applauded by Donald Trump, Jr., and he has been selected to work on the Trump transition team should the former president win re-election on November 5.
While through his non-profit, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) and recent interviews, Kennedy has advocated for the freedom of individuals to choose whether to receive a vaccine or have their children vaccinated, his plan curiously does not mention the word “vaccine.”
In an article dated July 16, just after the Republican National Convention (RNC) opened, TIME headlined an article with “Trump Makes Anti-Vax Comments in Phone Call With RFK Jr.”
“Donald Trump expressed skepticism about vaccines in a private phone conversation with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that was posted online,” the outlet wrote. “…A video of their call was posted online by someone in Kennedy’s orbit. In the video, Trump expresses concerns related to vaccinating children, which he says can cause babies to ‘change radically.’”
On August 23, Kennedy suspended his campaign and announced his endorsement of Donald Trump with the expectation Trump would “make America healthy again.”
Kirsch and Kennedy share the view that Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris does not have an interest in prioritizing Americans’ health.
Kirsch’s vision is expressed in phrases and includes criminal liability “for doctors to knowingly remain silent when people are being killed by a medical recommendation” and “clear scientific fraud.”
At the bottom of the article is a poll where readers can express their support for either or neither plan, with 1,967 individuals having voted as of this writing.