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A spokesperson for Polis told The Advocate that “Governor Polis has not changed his view as a whole on RFK Jr. or on the Governor’s previously stated concerns regarding some of RFK Jr’s positions."
Out Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is clarifying his beliefs after stirring confusion and outrage among his constituents by celebrating Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment to the Department of Health and Human Services — just months after mocking his qualifications.
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Polis said on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday that he is "excited by the news" that Donald Trump has chosen anti-vaccine and anti-transgender Kennedy to be secretary of Health and Human Services.
The post was a stark shift from Polis' previous comments on Kennedy, including those he made in August in reaction to Kennedy's campaigning efforts with Trump and his promise to "Make America healthy again.”
"Not sure how bringing back Measles and bringing back Polio makes anyone more healthy…" Polis wrote, in reference to Kennedy's anti-vaccine beliefs.
Kennedy has a long history of embracing conspiracy theories, and has been rebuked by his famous family. He believes, among many other falsehoods, that the environment turns children transgender (it doesn't), that vaccines cause autism (they don't), and that HIV does not cause AIDS (it does).
The New York Timesreported in May that Kennedy had been battling a series of health issues, including a brain parasite that he described as having “consumed part of my brain before dying.” He has been involved in a number of scandals, including recently being accused of groping a former family babysitter, to which he responded: "I am not a church boy."
A spokesperson for Polis told The Advocate that “Governor Polis has not changed his view as a whole on RFK Jr. or on the Governor’s previously stated concerns regarding some of RFK Jr’s positions."
"While opposed to RFK’s positions on a host of issues, including vaccines and banning fluoridation, he would appreciate seeing action on pesticides and efforts to lower prescription drug costs and if Trump is going to nominate someone like him then let them also take on soda, processed food, pesticides and heavy metals contamination," they said. "But he definitely does not endorse actions that would lead to measles outbreaks and opposes unscientific propaganda that undermines confidence in the lifesaving impact of vaccines. The Governor himself was vaccinated last week with the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine.”
