As Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services advances in the Senate, former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona talks to Margaret Hoover about the danger he fears Kennedy could pose to public health.

Carmona criticizes Kennedy’s history of spreading misinformation about vaccines and health care and falsely linking vaccination to autism, but he also acknowledges some valid concerns raised by the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Carmona, who advised Arizona’s governor during COVID-19, reflects on lessons learned from the pandemic about public health communication, mitigation strategies, and vaccine hesitancy.

He also assesses the importance of global health security and details actions he believes are needed to restore trust in public health officials and prepare for the next pandemic. 

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, Peter and Mark Kalikow, Cliff and Laurel Asness, The Meadowlark Foundation, Charles R. Schwab, Damon Button, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, The Philip I Kent Foundation and Al and Kathy Hubbard. Corporate funding is provided by Stephens Inc.