Haven’t had time to check the latest news, so since I lack a timely subject I thought I would put forward my theory for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. having any role at all within the Trump Administration.
RFK Jr. seems the least qualified of anyone appointed to a position in this administration for numerous reasons – and that’s an administration that includes such luminaries as dog-murderer Kristi Noem, dangerously bad axe-throwing probable-alcoholic Pete Hegseth, and creator of WWF action figures Linda McMahon). Reasons against his utterly nonsensical appointment include:
- having been addicted to heroin for years, which he’s openly discussed
- admitting to eating roadkill and drinking raw, unpasteurized milk
- contracting a brain worm – a condition linked to consuming contaminated food – and stating that he suffered neurological damage as a result of the worm eating a portion of his brain.
- swimming with his grandchildren in Rock Creek even after National Park Service had warned had high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens
- being a longtime vaccine denier who has promoted unproven cures and unfounded links to autism
- hollowing out the Department of Health and Human Services’ of institutional knowledge and expertise since taking office
So why nominate RFK Jr. in the first place? Let alone keeping him around as long as he has? After all, Trump became a television star because of two words: “you’re fired” and his first administration was marked by an enormous amount of turnover. Anthony Scaramucci lasted 10 days (he argues his tenure was 11 days) as White House Communications Director, yet somehow RFK Jr. has lingered as Secretary of Health and Human Services for 263 days and counting.
So what gives?
The most straightforward reason Trump brought RFK Jr. into his administration was as a reward for his late endorsement, which helped consolidate Kennedy’s supporters into Trump’s camp. Kennedy also played the spoiler on behalf of Trump during the campaign — going to court to remove himself from ballots in states where his presence might hurt Trump, while simultaneously leaving his name on ballots where he could siphon votes away from Democrats.
That’s a simple enough explanation for how someone so unqualified could have been appointed in the first place — but it doesn’t explain why he’s still there.
My theory is that Trump keeps RFK Jr. around because he’s useful as a distraction. Every so often, RFK Jr. steps in front of cameras and says something so bizarre, so inflammatory, or so scientifically illiterate that the national conversation shifts away from Trump himself and onto Kennedy. From vaccine investigations to strategic firings to his farcical Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign, Kennedy is adept at attracting controversy.
In this way, RFK serves as a kind of political lightning rod — someone who absorbs controversy and draws media oxygen at moments when Trump prefers to keep the spotlight elsewhere. Whether intentionally or not, Kennedy’s antics provide Trump with a convenient buffer: while pundits and late-night hosts fixate on RFK’s latest outrageous remark, Trump’s own missteps or policy failures fade into the background.
If that’s the case, RFK Jr. isn’t just an unqualified appointee – he’s a strategic decoy, one whose unpredictability has become an asset in a White House that thrives on distraction.