Gay Governor Jared Polis Shockingly Praises RFK Jr.
Critics slammed Colorado's Democratic governor for his enthusiastic support of anti-vaxxer Kennedy's nomination as head of HHS.
Jared Polis created a stir on social media after he praised Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Polis, a two-term governor and former congressman whose name has been bandied about as a possible Democratic presidential nominee in 2028, appeared to back Kennedy’s stated goals, saying in a post on X that he was “excited” by news of the appointment.
“[Kennedy] helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA,” Polis, an out gay man, wrote. “I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health.”
I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA. I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than… pic.twitter.com/cILtTYplcn
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) November 14, 2024
Polis warned his followers not to pre-judge Kennedy, a vaccine critic who gleefully spreads disinformation about the life-saving shots. Kennedy is also a member and the chair of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaxx organization that claims vaccines can cause autism, ADHD, food allergies, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
Polis continued to list reasons why he was excited about Kennedy shaking up the public health establishment, including promises that the one-time presidential candidate had made, such as capping prescription drug prices and allowing states to import low-cost drugs from Canada; reducing the influence of corporate agriculture to ensure that the Food & Drug Administration is making better recommendations regarding nutrition; and weaning Americans of pesticide-intensive agriculture.
“He will face strong special interest opposition on these [policies], but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again and I hope that we can finally make progress on these important issues.”
The post garnered swift and strong backlash on X from those who view Kennedy as a threat to public health.
“I used to be your fan. You will never win a Dem presidential nomination you appeasing embarrassment. Disqualifying,” wrote Ezra Levin.
“Way to end your 2028 campaign before it even starts,” wrote Hal Steinbrenner’s Checkbook Resurgence Bandwagon.
“You are giving credibility to a mentally incompetent nominee who will end up getting millions of Americans killed if confirmed. You need to delete this and resign your office. This is beyond disqualifying,” wrote the Palmer Report.
“more like jared polio,” quipped pourmecoffee.
Kennedy and Children’s Health Defense have been attacked by opponents for allegedly spreading vaccine misinformation in Samoa in 2018, leading to a decline in the vaccination rate, which was followed by an outbreak of measles. A total of 57,000 people were infected, with 83 people — many of them children — dying.
Recently, Kennedy has sought to dispel the notion that he is an “anti-vaxxer,” saying he would not ban Americans from deciding to receive vaccines if they wish to do so, but believes that scientists should be much more upfront about the potential risk or health impacts of vaccines.
Kennedy also opposes the fluoridation of water, considered one of the great public health achievements of the 20th century. It has been credited with improving dental health, particularly among children who can’t regularly access dental care, but has frequently been attacked by conspiracy theorists who claim it contributes to other health problems.
Kennedy has espoused the theory that chemicals in water are leading children to become gay or transgender, reviving a decades-old conspiracy theory that has no scientific evidence to back up its claims.
And he has repeatedly claimed the crackpot theory that AIDS deaths during the early years of the epidemic were not solely due to HIV but also to recreational drug use, particularly amyl nitrite, or “poppers.”
After receiving blowback for his initial posts from left-leaning or mainstream Democratic users, Polis wrote a second X post clarifying his views.
“Science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety,” Polis argued. “But if as a country we follow the science we would also be far more concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health, ag policy on nutrition, and the lack of access to prescription drugs due to drug high prices.
“This is why I am for a major shake-up in institutions like the FDA that have been barriers to lowering drug costs and promoting healthy food choices. Lest there by any doubt, I am vaccinated as is my family. I will hold any HHS Secretary to the same high standard of protecting and improving public health.”
Re my thoughts on @RobertKennedyJr, Science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy and the science-backed decision to get vaccinated improves public health and safety. But if as a country we follow the science we would also be far more concerned about the…
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) November 14, 2024
Users remained undeterred in their criticism of the Colorado governor.
“Okay so get on camera with him and drink raw milk right now,” taunted Olivia Julianna.
“You can’t say that Science must remain the cornerstone of public health and support RFK Jr.,” wrote Joey Macri.
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