Former President Donald Trump said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would play a “big role in the government” if he wins on Tuesday, telling NBC News in a phone interview that he was open to some of his more controversial ideas.

Kennedy, who ran for president this year as an independent before dropping his bid and endorsing Trump, has long spread conspiracies and falsehoods about vaccines and other public health issues. For example, he has frequently claimed that vaccinations are linked to autism, even though studies have been disproving that theory for decades.

Asked Sunday whether a ban on certain vaccines would be an option during a second term, Trump did not rule it out.

“Well, I'll talk to (Kennedy) and other people and make a decision, but he's a very talented guy and has strong views,” Trump said.

Trump declined to discuss specific roles Kennedy might play in a second administration, but in recent public appearances he has made it clear that he envisions a prominent role for him.

“He can do whatever he wants,” Trump said at an event in Arizona on Thursday.

He said Kennedy would “stand up for health and women's health,” and two sources close to the Trump campaign told NBC News that he may play a prominent role in the fight against “chronic childhood diseases.” .

On Friday, Kennedy tweeted that a Trump administration would push to ban fluoride in water on its first day in office, claiming it was “industrial waste” that led to problems like cancer and other diseases.

“Well, I haven't talked to him about it yet, but it sounds OK to me,” Trump said Sunday when asked about the plan. “You know, it’s possible.”

Major public health groups support water fluoridation, and health groups also emphasize that the practice is safe.

The Trump team has embraced Kennedy and some of his fringe views in recent days.

Last week, Howard Lutnick, co-chair of the Trump transition team, praised Kennedy and asked if the vaccines were “okay.”

On an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” last week, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Trump's running mate, also spoke about his experience with the Covid vaccine and expressed his skepticism about it.