Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy. But his views are a long way from those of his Democratic kinfolk. In fact, he’s gone on record saying some pretty off-the-wall stuff about health and vaccines that has made many Americans worry about his appointment as the guy responsible for key federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy even tried to warn members of the Senate and the rest of the country about what a danger he is to the country, calling him a “predator” who encouraged relatives “down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness and death” in a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
“Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children — vaccinating his own kids while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs,” she wrote.
Nevertheless, on February 13, the Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the 26th Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
In case you haven’t heard some of his controversial opinions, here are a few things RFK Jr. has said about Black people and vaccines that should keep you up at night.
Black People Have Different Immune Systems
In a February 2021 interview, Kennedy suggested that Black people receive vaccines on a different schedule than whites because of their superior ability to fight off disease.
“We should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that’s given to Whites, because their immune system is better than ours,” he said at the time.
Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) called Kennedy out on his comment during his confirmation hearing and posted the head-scratching exchange on social media. Although Kennedy might think he was paying Black folks a compliment, spreading misinformation like that could lead to Black children missing out on potentially live-saving vaccines.
African AIDS is Different From Western AIDS
Kennedy’s comments about HIV and AIDS have been especially troubling. He’s gone on record saying that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, was manufactured by the NIH and that AIDS is caused by recreational drug use. But what’s even more troublesome is the fact that he believes the statistics that show the number of people AIDS has killed in Africa are overstated.
In his 2021 book, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” Kennedy suggested that AIDS diagnosis numbers had been exaggerated in Africa to help line the pockets of organizations who work on fighting the disease there.
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) pressed Kennedy on the issue during his confirmation hearing, where Kennedy responded, “I’m not sure.”
People Are Better Off Unvaccinated
Kennedy has been outspoken about his belief that vaccines cause more harm than good. In a 2024 interview with Lex Fridman, he suggested that there is no safe vaccine out there.
“Vaccines are inherently unsafe,” he stated firmly.
According to NPR, vaccination rates in American schools have fallen below the CDC’s recommendation of 95 percent in the last five years, putting the population at greater risk for outbreaks.
After a child in Texas died this week from measles – the first death from the disease in the country for a decade – Kennedy said, “We have measles outbreaks every year,” according to NBC News.