A former New York City mayor minced no words in describing his reaction to President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of vaccine skepticRobert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
"It is dangerous," Bill de Blasio told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on Thursday night. "I mean that's the only way to say it."
De Blasio stressed he was not being "political or hyperbolic" — he meant what he said.
The former mayor noted that during the pandemic, the Trump administration expedited the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine — even if he appeared to "disown his own creation" later.
ALSO READ: Why Trump voters should be held accountable for their choice
De Blasio honed in on what he sees as a fundamental problem: giving a vaccine-denier authority over the public health apparatus — particularly in the event of another public health crisis.
"People will die!" he said. "I wish I was just being hyperbolic. I'm being literal! People will die because somebody is holding that role who does not believe in vaccination. That is just plain dangerous. That's not partisan, that's dangerous."
Kennedy has called vaccines into question, broadly questioning their safety and efficacy, including claiming, "There's no vaccine that is safe and effective" — and promoting the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism.
Watch the clip below or at this link.