PHOENIX (AP) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of Public health claims debunked who Donald Trump promised to put in charge Health initiativessaid Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces tooth decay Replacing minerals lost through normal wear and tearaccording to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adding small amounts of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

kennedy made the statement Saturday on the social media platform X alongside various claims about the health effects of fluoride.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife Melania Trump “want to make America whole again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and associates with Kennedy.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not yet spoken to Kennedy about fluoride, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”

The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a position that would require Senate confirmation, but added: “He will play a big role in the administration.”

Asked whether a ban on certain vaccines was on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about it. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy with strong views.”

The sudden and unexpected social media post over the weekend was a reminder of the chaotic policymaking that characterized Trump’s tenure in the White House, as he made policy statements on Twitter virtually around the clock. It also underscored many experts’ concerns about Kennedy doing this propagated theories that have been debunked for a long time about vaccine safety and impact on U.S. public health.

In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay and continued to promote it even when brands of toothpaste containing fluoride appeared on the market several years later. Although fluoride can come from a variety of sources, drinking water is the primary source for Americans, according to researchers.

officer lowered Their 2015 recommendation for fluoride levels in drinking water to combat a dental disease called fluorosis, which can cause stains on teeth and is becoming increasingly common in U.S. children.

In August, a federal agency certainly “moderately confident” that there is an association between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies that found fluoride levels were about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

A federal judge later cited that study in Order The US Environmental Protection Agency is calling for further regulation of fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen warned that it is not certain that the amount of fluoride normally added to water results in lower intelligence quotients in children, but concluded that increasing research suggests a disproportionate risk that this could be the case. He ordered the EPA to take measures to reduce that risk, but did not say what those measures should be.

In his X-post on Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit, the environmental group Food & Water Watch.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking actions to spread misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines identify. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed in the lawsuit as one of its attorneys.

What role Kennedy might play if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump has asked him to “reorganize” agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture .

But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s best surrogates. Trump frequently mentions support for Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy traveled with Trump on Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy, “You can work on nutrition, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.

“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants children, he wants everything,” Trump added.