Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation Thursday as Health and Human Services secretary could be President Trump’s most transformational cabinet picks, says Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt.

“It could be, in the sense that I think people voted for significant reform and change, and I think he represents that,” Schmitt said in an exclusive interview with The Heartlander.

“I mean, look, he was a former Democrat who worked hard to get President Trump elected. This MAHA, Make America Healthy Again, movement is real. I’ve seen it on the ground. There’s a lot of people who really care about their kids’ health and chronic disease in this country, and I think he’s speaking to an audience on the issues that matter in people’s lives.

“So, I think he’s got a great opportunity to truly make America healthy again, and that’s why I support him.”

Oddly, not one Democrat voted for Kennedy – despite his family heritage and his longtime loyalty to the party.

RFK Jr.’s support of Trump’s campaign – as was former Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard’s – was a stark bipartisan departure from the rank partisanship displayed by Democrats’ complete disavowal of his nomination to head HHS.

“I think it’s great,” Schmitt said of his confirmation by Republicans. “I think he’s a disruptor, and we certainly need that.

“I think the medical establishment was really discredited through their lies and their misrepresentations during COVID, in particular. Whether it was mask mandates or the [claim] that the COVID shot was going to prevent transmission, I think they lost a lot of credibility with the American people. 

“I spent a lot of time campaigning with RFK Jr. and have gotten to know him, and I think the attraction that people have is, they understand that chronic disease is way too high in this country. We’re the richest country in the world, but we have some of the highest levels of chronic disease. So, something’s not working. 

“And I think his willingness to sort of take on the establishment, ask important questions and get information out to the American people is a welcome breath of fresh air.”

Democrats ‘swinging at every pitch’

In other news, Schmitt said a rudderless Democrat Party is failing badly in its attempt to discredit Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to cut waste and fraud out of the federal budget.

“I think they’re just flailing. I think they’re very disoriented. They just got their butts whupped in November. They don’t have a message, other than they’re defending the machine, I guess, and the establishment. They don’t have a party leader. 

“And their views are just totally out of step. You had a House member yesterday file a bill for reparations. These people are totally out of touch with where the American people are at. 

“They lost the working-class voters. They have been hyper-focused on fringe issues like DEI and men playing in women’s sports, and they lost the plot – that the American people want an economy that works for them. They want a secure border. They want to be energy-dominant. And [Democrats] don’t talk about any of those things. 

“And I think right now they’re kind of swinging at every pitch, which is a huge mistake. It’s really ridiculous.

“I’m glad they’re shining a light on all this rampant fraud and abuse. It’s just sort of the tip of the iceberg. The USAID stuff, I think, was shocking to a lot of people – millions of dollars to sex changes in Guatemala, to DEI programming in Burma, to LGBTQ programming in Iraq. I mean, this stuff is crazy. 

“And I think we’re right to be looking at all of it. I support it. I think there’s a lot of money we can save by cutting out this nonsense and have real reform, which is why I think getting Trump’s cabinet in place is very helpful to sort of go on the inside with some of these reforms, too.”

Tariffs: toward ‘American realism’

Schmitt said he supports Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on Europe the president announced Thursday.

While most media outlets can only report breathlessly about pushback from Europe and Canada on “Trump’s escalating trade war,” Schmitt says Americans have had it with unfair trade barriers that have taken the country to the cleaners.

“I think President Trump is going to have a very America-first industrial policy. And I think the American people are tired of being ripped off for a generation now – these trade barriers, these tariffs in other countries, and you can’t sell a U.S. automobile in Europe. That’s ridiculous. 

“China creates all these barriers. So, it’s not free trade. It’s totally unbalanced. And I think tariffs are a tool that can be used to sort of rebalance the equation. 

“This trade deficit we’ve had has exploded with Canada by 250-plus percent over the last four years. 

“And so, I think our friends and foes have taken advantage of the American people for far too long, I think that era is going to end.”

Indeed, Schmitt said he was heading for the Munich Security Conference Thursday afternoon “to deliver a message that American foreign policy is changing – and in a good way, towards American realism. 

“We assess our foreign policy now on what are the core national interests of the United States of America. We want to protect the homeland. And clearly, our biggest threat is China. 

“In Europe – I’m going to deliver this message – Europe needs to step up. By providing the defense for NATO, we’ve effectively subsidized their social welfare programs now for 50 years, and the American taxpayers have had enough of that. 

“It’s time for them to step up and provide more meaningfully for their own defense. 

“So, we’re not abandoning the world; we’re not becoming isolationist. We’re becoming realistic about what our capabilities are, who our threats are and what our priorities are. And I think that message needs to be delivered, and I’m going over there to deliver it.”