Image shows U.S. Health and Human Services secretaries in the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration as of Nov. 11, 2024.
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When comparing Health and Human Services secretaries, social media posts fudge the facts
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The Health and Human Services secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration is Xavier Becerra, not Rachel Levine, as a recent Threads post says.
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President-elect Donald Trump hadn’t nominated a Health and Human Services secretary as of Nov. 11.
President-elect Donald Trump has said former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would have a health-related role in his incoming administration.
Kennedy, who campaigned with Trump after suspending his own campaign, is on a short list "being floated by some Trump allies to serve as the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services," CBS News reported Nov. 8, citing unnamed sources.
But Trump has not publicly said he’s tapped Kennedy for that role, and a Nov. 10 Threads post comparing Kennedy to an assistant health secretary under President Joe Biden misfires.
"Let’s compare…" says the text above photos of Admiral Rachel Levine, Biden’s assistant secretary for health in the Health and Human Services Department, and Kennedy.
Levine is labeled "Biden’s sec. of health" and Kennedy is labeled "Trump’s sec. of health."
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The Biden administration’s Health and Human Services secretary is Xavier Becerra, not Levine.
Kennedy, meanwhile, has said it’s a "possibility" that he’ll be named to a Senate-confirmed position in the new Trump administration — which could include Health and Human Services secretary — but Roll Call reported that "many experts say they imagine Kennedy will serve more as an informal adviser to Trump because it could be difficult to get a majority of senators, even in a GOP-led chamber, to confirm him." Kennedy’s campaign of conspiracy theories earned PolitiFact’s 2023 Lie of the Year.
Among the other potential candidates who have been mentioned for the role: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo; Roger Severino, a former director of the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights in the last Trump administration who authored part of Project 2025; and former Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
We rate claims these photos show the Health and Human Services secretaries in the Biden and incoming Trump administration False.
Our Sources
Threads post, Nov. 10, 2024
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD, visited Nov. 11, 2024
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Leadership, visited Nov. 11, 2024
CBS News, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could be on short list for HHS secretary, Trump allies say, Nov. 8, 2024
NPR, RFK Jr. discusses potential role in the Trump administration and health policy vision, Nov. 6, 2024
Roll Call, A look at those who could be on Trump’s health team short list, Nov. 7, 2024
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When comparing Health and Human Services secretaries, social media posts fudge the facts
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