Profile image of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wearing a blue suit and tie. -- health policy coverage from STAT
Kennedy has recently tried to separate himself from the anti-vaccination movement.Evan Vucci/AP

WASHINGTON — Last month, before he called it quits on a presidential run, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ran social media ads asking, “Is America sicker than it’s ever been?” The link led to a four-question quiz about major health issues including diabetes, autism, drug overdoses, and obesity. 

The quiz highlights what has become a central focus of Kennedy’s political life: chronic disease, particularly among children. In joining the Trump transition team, the former hardcore environmentalist is also pitching himself as a public health guy — and trying to distance himself from the anti-vaccine rhetoric that’s made him famous.

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Here’s how Kennedy might influence Trump’s health policy should the former president win a second term, and what health experts have to say about Kennedy’s theories on the roots of pediatric chronic illness. 

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