Andrew Trunsky, a journalist with The New York Times, opened his April 11 feature on War Room White House correspondent Natali Winters with a dental-related anecdote.
As a waitress began pouring tap water at Butterworth’s, a Capitol Hill bistro, Winters — also co-host of the War Room podcast with Steve Bannon — quickly asked for bottled water.
“No fluoride for our dear dinner guest!” she said, gesturing to Trunsky. “Only filtered water and pesticide-free limes.”
Winters, 24, has served as a White House correspondent for the podcast since Jan. 28.
The fluoride reference echoes the political debate in the United States. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he wants to end water fluoridation across the country, just days after Utah passed a law restricting the practice unless approved by local vote — a move critics have described as a de facto ban.
Kennedy said he plans to instruct the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending community water fluoridation. He also intends to create a task force of health experts to reassess the issue and provide new guidelines. Before his official appointment, Kennedy had described fluoride as “industrial waste” and claimed it contributes to numerous health problems, including reduced IQ in children.
In response, the American Dental Association reaffirmed its support for community water fluoridation on April 8, citing decades of research supporting its safety and effectiveness in preventing tooth decay.
As for Winters, her preferences extend beyond water.
When it came time to order, she surprised Trunsky again.
“Honestly,” she told him, “I’m probably not going to eat because that’s my brand. I don’t eat at restaurants because I don’t like the seed oils that they use.”