If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, it will be the most important job he has ever had.
And some of his former campaign staffers question whether he is up to the challenge.
Kennedy, who comes from one of the most prominent families in Democratic politics, has held leadership roles as a lawyer and in nonprofit organizations, but has more often been the public face of these operations than an executive manager. His presidential campaign was run in a similar manner, and Kennedy was not closely involved in its day-to-day management, according to interviews with a half-dozen former campaign staffers.
“He is an inspiring leader who is able to communicate. But he’s not a manager,” said Jeff Hutt, spokesman for the Make America Healthy Again political action committee and Kennedy’s former national field director.
Kennedy’s campaign, his last professional endeavor, was suspended before anyone could vote for him, leaving him $4.5 million in debt.
“I have no idea how he’s going to run an entire department, if that’s how he ran the campaign,” said one former campaign staffer granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. “Putting a court case and suing people is very different from running a business. I think he’s a fantastic lawyer. “I think he does his due diligence, understands the law and really wants to help all people.”
Kennedy has touted his experience as an environmental advocate and litigator as qualification for the position, but Kennedy had never led such a large team. The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 13 sub-agencies and has a budget of more than $1 billion and more than 80,000 employees.
And Trump, who reportedly considered giving Kennedy a role in his first administration, has also issued a mammoth mandate, saying that HHS “will play an important role in helping ensure that everyone is protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.” ”. , and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country,” in a statement announcing Kennedy as their choice.
That job will involve fighting a huge bureaucracy, but Kennedy’s campaign was the opposite. In the end, a small circle of friends and family became the core of his campaign team.
“The campaign was made up of a handful of people who were true professionals and a group of people that Bobby met along the journey to health freedom,” said another former staffer.
This caused conflict within the team and made the campaign slow to respond to negative press. It also halted campaign operations, including fundraising.
“Technically I think we could have raised an additional $50 million to $75 million more than he raised,” said Dave Murphy, who was the campaign’s finance director. “We should have had exponential growth and that didn’t happen. And I just think that every campaign and every leader succeeds or fails based on the leadership around them, the people close to them, and I think there were some people who didn’t understand the vision of what a presidential campaign is (and what) in “You really need to contribute money to make it credible.”
The campaign ultimately raised about $62 million, but more than $15 million of that came from Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, who is independent and wealthy.
Former employees say Kennedy will be an excellent spokesperson and face of the maha missionwhich is committed to combating chronic diseases by “prioritizing regenerative agriculture, preserving natural habitats and removing toxins from our food, water and air.”
The emphasis on him as a public face is no different from the role he played in the successful lawsuit against Monsanto, a chemical company that owns the herbicide Roundup, and as chairman of the board of Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit organization of which is currently part. license.
“He was basically our press secretary and spokesperson, and that was a big help. And when we got the verdict, he was the one who helped us organize,” Brent Wisner, a lawyer in the Monsanto case, said this summer during an interview about Kennedy’s role in the Monsanto case.
Wisner added that Kennedy was also an asset in speaking to the press throughout the trial and was especially helpful when it came to the discovery and research phase leading up to the trial, where he found instances of deference from regulatory agencies to the industry at the expense of health outcomes. .
Kennedy’s subsequent litigation and books focused on vaccine safety isolated him from some members of the environmental movement and, eventually, the Democratic Party when he ran for president. But former Kennedy staffers said he has the skills to rebuild bridges and forge the relationships needed to get things done in Washington.
“He is a very genuine person. He listens and, you know, he likes to find the best answers available,” said one former senior staff member. “And as he’s said publicly, if you can show him where he’s wrong about something, he’ll change his mind.”
The senior official also said he does not believe Kennedy will immediately “purge” the department’s staff, as some in Trump’s orbit have promised, and that his former boss has a “cooler approach.”
But one former employee said good intentions and an aptitude for building relationships aren’t enough to cover leadership skills.
“He’s going to need a good congressman,” said Hutt, who worked on the PAC supporting Kennedy. “I don’t know who he has in mind, but I hope he comes out of his (personal) campaign for this. position.”