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After winning the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump has made a slew of cabinet appointments. The latest: Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Video above: What could Trump's nomination of RFK Jr. to HHS mean for patients?The selection isn’t a total shock—Trump previously said that he would let RFK Jr. “go wild” on health care—but it’s sparked a lot of talk, given that Kennedy has a reputation for being anti-vaccination. Among other things, the HHS coordinates and provides leadership for immunization activities across federal agencies.Kennedy has recently pushed back on the anti-vax label, but he has a long history of speaking out against shots that are approved for use in the United States.So, is RFK Jr. anti-vax? Here’s what he’s shared. He has a long history of promoting anti-vax ideals.Kennedy has had a lot to say about vaccines, more recently saying on the Lex Fridman podcast in 2023 that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” During the podcast, Fridman also asked RFK Jr. about his stance on the polio vaccine—which helped to eliminate a virus that was once widely feared and caused paralysis in children—and Kennedy suggested that it did more harm than good. In 2021, Kennedy stated that it was “criminal medical malpractice” to give the COVID-19 vaccine to kids. (Kennedy is also currently on leave from his role as chairman of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, which has repeated the debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism.)Kennedy’s own family has spoken out against his anti-vaccine stances. “We love Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but he is part of a misinformation campaign that's having heartbreaking—and deadly—consequences," Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Maeve Kennedy McKean wrote in a Politico opinion piece titled, “RFK Jr. Is Our Brother and Uncle. He’s Tragically Wrong About Vaccines.”His Twitter account was the top ‘spreader’ of vaccine misinformation in 2021.Research published in 2021 identified Kennedy as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" identified by the Center for Countering Digital Hate. Among other things, Kennedy suggested on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the death of baseball legend Hank Aaron was "part of a wave of suspicious deaths" tied to vaccines. He was also once booted off of Instagram for sharing debunked claims about vaccines. He says he won’t ‘take away’ vaccines. Despite his very vocal past, RFK Jr. told NPR on November 6 that “we’re not going to take vaccines away from anybody.” “We are going to make sure that Americans have good information about vaccines and vaccine safety,” he added.But Kennedy said that he would “immediately” work to change vaccine regulations and research. According to him, there are “huge deficits” in the science surrounding vaccine safety. “We’re going to make sure those scientific studies are done and that people can make informed choices about their vaccinations and their children's vaccinations,” he said. Vaccines are widely considered one of the safest and most effective public health measures in history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vast majority of the medical community stress that vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious disease. The CDC says on its website that vaccines are “very safe,” noting that “the United States’ long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are as safe as possible.”The World Health Organization (WHO) also states online that “vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent diseases,” noting that childhood vaccines save 3.5 to 5 million lives every year.
After winning the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump has made a slew of cabinet appointments. The latest: Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Video above: What could Trump's nomination of RFK Jr. to HHS mean for patients?
The selection isn’t a total shock—Trump previously said that he would let RFK Jr. “go wild” on health care—but it’s sparked a lot of talk, given that Kennedy has a reputation for being anti-vaccination. Among other things, the HHS coordinates and provides leadership for immunization activities across federal agencies.
Kennedy has recently pushed back on the anti-vax label, but he has a long history of speaking out against shots that are approved for use in the United States.
So, is RFK Jr. anti-vax? Here’s what he’s shared.
He has a long history of promoting anti-vax ideals.
Kennedy has had a lot to say about vaccines, more recently saying on the Lex Fridman podcast in 2023 that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.” During the podcast, Fridman also asked RFK Jr. about his stance on the polio vaccine—which helped to eliminate a virus that was once widely feared and caused paralysis in children—and Kennedy suggested that it did more harm than good.
In 2021, Kennedy stated that it was “criminal medical malpractice” to give the COVID-19 vaccine to kids. (Kennedy is also currently on leave from his role as chairman of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, which has repeated the debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism.)
Kennedy’s own family has spoken out against his anti-vaccine stances. “We love Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but he is part of a misinformation campaign that's having heartbreaking—and deadly—consequences," Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Maeve Kennedy McKean wrote in a Politico opinion piece titled, “RFK Jr. Is Our Brother and Uncle. He’s Tragically Wrong About Vaccines.”
His Twitter account was the top ‘spreader’ of vaccine misinformation in 2021.
Research published in 2021 identified Kennedy as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" identified by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
Among other things, Kennedy suggested on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the death of baseball legend Hank Aaron was "part of a wave of suspicious deaths" tied to vaccines. He was also once booted off of Instagram for sharing debunked claims about vaccines.
He says he won’t ‘take away’ vaccines.
Despite his very vocal past, RFK Jr. told NPR on November 6 that “we’re not going to take vaccines away from anybody.”
“We are going to make sure that Americans have good information about vaccines and vaccine safety,” he added.
But Kennedy said that he would “immediately” work to change vaccine regulations and research. According to him, there are “huge deficits” in the science surrounding vaccine safety.
“We’re going to make sure those scientific studies are done and that people can make informed choices about their vaccinations and their children's vaccinations,” he said.
Vaccines are widely considered one of the safest and most effective public health measures in history.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vast majority of the medical community stress that vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious disease.
The CDC says on its website that vaccines are “very safe,” noting that “the United States’ long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are as safe as possible.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) also states online that “vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent diseases,” noting that childhood vaccines save 3.5 to 5 million lives every year.
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