Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump is once again stirring the pot of public discourse with a nod to a proposal that has those in the know raising their eyebrows—and probably their glasses of water. During a recent chat with NBC News, Trump expressed a lukewarm enthusiasm for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bold plan to eliminate fluoride from U.S. water systems right out of the gate in a potential second administration. While Trump hasn’t had a sit-down with Kennedy about it just yet, he seems to think the idea might not be the worst thing since sliced bread, although it’s unclear if that bread would be fluoride-free.
Kennedy has thrown quite the curveball into the narrative with his eye-popping claims about fluoride, painting it as an insidious toxin linked to an impressive list of ailments such as arthritis, bone fractures, and even neurodevelopmental disorders. In a world where many question what’s truly in their water, Kennedy’s dramatic stance might just resonate with anyone who worries more about what’s being added to their glass than what’s already in it.
Trump backs RFK Jr. proposal to remove fluoride from public water: ‘Sounds OK to me’ https://t.co/F900i7guoR
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 4, 2024
Intriguingly enough, a court ruling—delivered by an Obama-appointed judge, because why not—has ruled that fluoride levels in U.S. waters could be harmful, particularly to children. As the Environmental Protection Agency prepares to step up its enthusiasm for regulating fluoride, one has to wonder if Kennedy’s proposal is just the tip of the iceberg, or merely a flash in the pan among the plethora of hot-button issues swirling around.
Of course, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a different take, sharing the reassuring notion that fluoride is a champion of cavity prevention. They claim that a consistent, low level of fluoride can go a long way toward protecting those pearly whites. But when it comes to health, the American people have grown weary of the “expertise” dished out by governmental agencies—especially when it leads to everyone being told to keep drinking those fluoridated waters.
The intrigue does not stop there. Kennedy has taken his campaigning up a notch by co-opting Trump’s rallying cry, “Make America Healthy Again.” He even hinted at controlling key health departments, such as Health and Human Services and Agriculture, clearly outlining his ambitions while Trump is supposedly onboard to let Kennedy run wild in the health department. It’s turning into quite the political soap opera, with Trump’s second act as president potentially featuring more than just tweets and rallies—if Kennedy gets his way, it could be a health revolution, or at least a funky new approach to water safety.
