In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, critics far and wide have spoken out against the influence pharmaceutical companies have had on American policy, particularly at the federal level.
This week, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump addressed the issue during a podcast appearance, introducing his plan to rein in Big Pharma’s role in shaping laws.
According to the Daily Caller:
“You have to stop listening to lobbyists. You know, I was not a big person for lobbyists. And if they have even a little access to like a president or a senator or a congressman or woman, they get a lot of money,” Trump told Theo Von. The former president criticized the transition of FDA employees to Big Pharma lobbyists, advocating for a total ban on former government workers becoming lobbyists.
“You could say that if you’re an elected official or if you work in government, you can never be a lobbyist,” Trump said on how to address the issue of corruption among lobbyists. “You have people that work in government and they give out contracts to the military, and then they leave, they work for the people that they’re giving out contracts to.”
A number of social media commentators noted that an apparent alignment between Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might present a unique opportunity for the latter to land a position in a second Trump term:
Join me in calling for RFK Jr. to join with Trump and DEFEAT the dangerous, communist Dems. RFK Jr. could have a hugely important role to play in reeling in Big Pharma, the deadly vaccine bioweapons complex, heavy metals pollution and much more. I believe an RFK-Trump duo would…
— HealthRanger (@HealthRanger) August 20, 2024
RFK Jr would be an awesome asset to the Trump team
He is a free thinker and can help fight big Pharma and the corrupt alphabet agencies.
We don't agree on everything, but certainly on those things..
I pray this happens..
The best of all worlds! pic.twitter.com/NzvKOgjvLB— Bama_Jeans (@bamajayt) August 20, 2024
I think we can all agree that @RobertKennedyJr has far more in common with Donald Trump than Kamala Harris. I think it would be great to have his insight, especially on big pharma and this country cannot survive Kamala Harris. https://t.co/fE9d4UdBrm
— TheQuartering (@TheQuartering) August 20, 2024
Kennedy’s running mate recently signaled that some form of collaboration with the Trump campaign could be forthcoming.
As Axios reported:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate Nicole Shanahan said in an interview out Tuesday that the campaign is considering dropping its bid and joining forces with former President Trump as it weighs its options for the future.
Why it matters: Her remarks come as Kennedy’s longshot independent bid is losing money and facing legal challenges to ballot access. He has also slowed his public schedule.
Driving the news: “There’s two options that we’re looking at and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw votes from Trump,” Shanahan said on the Impact Theory podcast.
“Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump … and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”
“Not an easy decision,” she added.
Here’s a full clip of Trump’s recent podcast appearance:
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