Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading proponent of debunked public health claims that Donald Trump has promised to hold accountable for his health initiatives, said Saturday that if Trump is elected president, he will push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities. replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tearAccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Kennedy made a declaration There are various claims about the health effects of fluoride on the social media platform X on Saturday.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will recommend that all U.S. water systems remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, added, “He Wants to Make America Healthy Again,” echoing a phrase Trump often uses and has been linked to Kennedy.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not yet talked to Kennedy about fluoride, “but it sounds okay to me. You know it’s possible.”

The former president declined to say whether he wanted a Cabinet post for Kennedy, a job that requires Senate confirmation, but added: “He will have a big role in the administration.”

Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk about it with Kennedy and others. Trump described Kennedy as “a man of great talent and strong views.”

RELATED STORY | Trump: RFK Jr. will have a ‘huge role’ in health care in new administration

The sudden and unexpected social media post over the weekend was a reminder of the chaotic policymaking process that characterized Trump’s tenure in the White House, where he would issue policy statements on Twitter almost every hour. It also underscored many experts’ concerns about Kennedy, who has long championed debunked theories about vaccine safety and has had an impact on U.S. public health.

In 1950, federal officials approved water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay and continued to promote it even after brands of fluoride toothpaste became available several years later. Although fluoride can come from many sources, the main source for Americans is drinking water, researchers say.

Officials lowered their recommendations for fluoride levels in drinking water in 2015 to address a dental condition called fluorosis, which can cause stains on teeth and is becoming more common in U.S. children.

In August, a federal agency determined with “moderate confidence” that there was a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies that included fluoride levels nearly twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

A federal judge later cited that study and ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it is not certain whether the amount of fluoride added to water causes lower IQ in children, but concluded that growing research points to an unreasonable risk that it might. It ordered the EPA to take steps to reduce that risk but did not say what those measures should be.

In Saturday’s X post, Kennedy tagged the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in the case, Michael Connett of the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit against news organizations, including the Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws for taking action to detect misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of the group’s attorneys in the lawsuit.

It remains unclear what role Kennedy will play if Trump wins on Tuesday. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump wanted him to “reorganize” agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies within the Department of Agriculture.

But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s most important surrogates. Trump frequently cites the support of Kennedy, who comes from a Democratic dynasty, is the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy traveled with Trump on Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy, “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want,” other than oil policy.

“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump said.

RELATED STORY | North Carolina, RFK Jr. delayed sending absentee ballots due to dispute