Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who has faced restrictions on social media platforms because of his views, was a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

Bhattacharya’s appointment is a clear signal that the ruling class aims to demolish the last remnants of public health still standing after five years of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he has selected a Stanford University professor of health policy and skeptic of COVID-19 precautions to run the National Institutes of Health, the sweeping federal agency tasked with solving many of the country’s biggest health challenges.