Who has Trump picked for his cabinet? Here are 9 of his nominees

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In an X post last Thursday, Trump unveiled Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, the son of slain presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of slain President John F. Kennedy, challenged President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for president before being forced to drop out and launch an independent presidential bid.

Less than three months before the 2024 presidential election, Kennedy ended his independent bid and endorsed Trump.

Trump contended that Kennedy would restore HHS to “the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

While Kennedy has become popular among Trump supporters due to his anti-interventionist stance on foreign policy and opposition to the lockdowns and worship restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, his nomination as HHS secretary has generated some concern within the Republican Party due to his previous support for abortion.

Mike Pence, who served as vice president during the first Trump administration, described Kennedy’s nomination as “an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration” that “should be deeply concerning to millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our nominees for decades.”

“For the majority of his career, RFK Jr. has defended abortion on demand during all nine months of pregnancy, supports overturning the Dobbs decision and has called for legislation to codify Roe v Wade,” Pence lamented. “If confirmed, RFK Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed Secretary of HHS in modern history. The pro-life movement has always looked to the Republican party to stand for life, to affirm an unborn child has a fundamental right to life that cannot be infringed.”

Pence pleaded with the U.S. Senate to “reject this nomination and give the American people a leader who will respect the sanctity of life as Secretary of Health and Human Services.”