Robert F Kennedy Jr built a following online by questioning the scientific consensus and casting doubt on the use of vaccines in the U.S., but under his new boss — President Donald Trump — the failed presidential candidate is suddenly shifting his stance.
Kennedy is Trump's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Ahead of his new potential role in the Trump White House, he's reportedly been assuring the Republican senators who have to vote him in that he's "all for" polio vaccines, and that he isn't going to ban any vaccines, according to a report by Politico.
According to lawmakers who spoke to Politico, Kennedy has been telling them that he just wants to make safety and efficacy data easier to access.
This lighter touch is a change from Kennedy's previous commentary on vaccines. He previously suggested that the measles vaccine causes autism and that the polio vaccines may have killed "many, many, many, many, many more people than polio ever did."
Neither of those claims represent the scientific consensus.
He is perhaps best known for his comments on the Covid-19 vaccines, which he called the "deadliest" ever created. At one point he even suggested that somehow the virus had been engineered not to affect Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese people.
“He told me he is not anti-vaccine. He is pro-vaccine safety, which strikes me as a rational position to take,” Senator John Cornyn told Politico.
When asked about Kennedy's history of vaccine skepticism, Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville replied that he doesn't "keep up with all that."
He went on to tell Politico that he had spoken with Kennedy and believes the nominee supports vaccines, so long as they're safe.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, considered a moderate Republican, said she felt better about Kennedy leading HHS after having a long conversation with him.
Murkowski did not confirm that she would vote in support of him, but said she would use her time during his confirmation hearing to question him further and decide then.
Despite what Kennedy is apparently telling Republican lawmakers now, his actions have so far suggested he is skeptical of vaccines, and has made moneypublicly championing that cause. His Children's Health Defense advocacy group has earned more than $1 million, and continues to suggest that vaccines are connected to asthma, autism, and developmental issues in children, contrary to scientific studies.
Two weeks ago, Democratic Senator Christ Murphy made his feelings on RFK’s vaccine ideas very clear in a post on X.
“We don’t have to treat conspiracy theorists like RFK Jr. with kid gloves. It’s simple. He’s spent his career fighting school vaccine programs. If they atrophy, kids will get killed,” Murphy wrote on the social media platform. “[E]ven if RFK Jr. doesn’t legally weaken school vaccine requirements (and he might!), his elevation to HHS Secretary will amplify his conspiracy views. When vaccine rates drop because of RFK Jr.’s conspiracy spreading - kids get killed.”
The Independent has requested comment from Kennedy.
One of the most direct responses to Kennedy's vaccine skepticism came from Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, whose legs were weakened in his childhood due to complications from polio. He issued a defense of the polio vaccine last month that was viewed as a direct response to Kennedy's views, saying that “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous.”
Kennedy’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for January 29.
