In response to Donald Trump picking conspiracy theorist and misinformation propagandist RFK Jr. to lead HHS, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump is threatening the health and safety of every American to reward a notorious liar who has pushed 9/11 conspiracy theories, backed a national abortion ban, spread disinformation that led to a deadly measles outbreak, and left an appalling record of personal behavior — including sexual assault allegations — in his wake. Americans should not have to put their health in the hands of a man who has had a worm eat part of his brain, and Democrats are ready to fight every day against RFK Jr. and Trump’s dangerous agenda.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a dangerous anti-vaxxer who thinks no vaccine is safe and effective, and opposes requirements for polio and MMR vaccines.

Mother Jones: “In July 2023, at the invitation of House Republicans, he appeared at a congressional hearing and declared, ‘I have never been anti-vax. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.’ Yet that same month, during a podcast interview, he asserted, ‘There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.’”

Washington Post:  “He has an unenviable history of anti-vaccine advocacy, including peddling debunked claims linking vaccines to autism and leading an anti-vaccine group. He claims he is not opposed to vaccines, though that’s hard to square with his recent comments that ‘there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective’ and ‘I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby, and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated.’” 

Los Angeles Times: “Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization Kennedy founded and chairs, last week platformed a fatuously inaccurate 2013 book claiming that polio isn’t caused by a virus and that the polio vaccine ‘doesn’t work.’ The book was conclusively debunked long ago. But last Tuesday, the organization published an interview with its co-author Suzanne Humphries, in which she repeated her claim that polio is caused by toxins, not the virus.”

FactCheck.org: “At the time, Fridman pushed Kennedy on the issue, noting that those were ‘big words’ — and asked about the polio vaccine. Kennedy then misleadingly suggested that the polio vaccines given to his generation caused cancer — despite a lack of evidence that this is true.”

NPR: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion with the famous last name who’s running as an independent for president, is also infamous for his stances against vaccines. Vaccines are safe and effective and have been credited with stopping the spread of diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, polio and global pandemics. Despite the solid evidence, people like RFK Jr. — with no expertise and who refuse to listen to experts — have spread disinformation about them, playing on false conspiracy theories.”

NBC: “Asked if he would recommend that parents give their children the MMR vaccine amid an uptick in measles in the U.S., Kennedy declined to answer. ‘I’m not gonna—,’ he said, and walked away.” 

Kennedy contributed to one of the deadliest measles outbreaks in recent history in Samoa.

Philadelphia Inquirer: “In 2019, Kennedy flew to Samoa, met with government officials and, along with other like-minded advocates, ‘flooded the area with misinformation’ about vaccines, according to FactCheck.org.  Vaccinations were temporarily halted, 5,600 people contracted measles, and 83 children died.  FactCheck.org concluded: ‘Kennedy … played a part in one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent memory.’” 

Los Angeles Times Editorial Board: “But the fearmongering on social media landed a hook in Samoan parents, who now had an example of real risk to their children that seemed to outweigh the abstract threat of a disease that had virtually been eradicated from the developed world over the last generation. […] This is a stark and sad illustration of what can happen when the agents of fear and misinformation (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., we are looking at you) convince caring parents to shun childhood vaccinations.”

Just like Trump, Kennedy supports a national abortion ban, which would rip away women’s reproductive freedoms and deny critical health care.

Politico: “Speaking to NBC from the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy said, ‘I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,’ but added: ‘Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child.’ He said he would sign a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks or 21 weeks of pregnancy if he were elected president.”

NBC: “A leading conservative anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony List, praised Kennedy’s position in a statement, calling it ‘a stark contrast to the Democratic Party’s radical stance of abortion on demand. … Kennedy is one of the few prominent Democrats aligned with the consensus of the people today. Every candidate should be asked, ‘Where do you draw the line?’”

Rolling Stone: “Trump Wants to Ban Abortion Nationwide: Report”

Kennedy’s conspiracy theories include denying the September 11 terrorist attacks.

NBC: “Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on social media Friday that it’s ‘hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t’ when it comes to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.” 

Rolling Stone:  “In a new interview on the podcast In the Room With Peter Bergen, produced by Fresh Produce Media for Audible, Kennedy told Bergen he didn’t know whether or not he believes the official government explanation about 9/11, including whether al-Qaeda was responsible for the attack, asserting ‘strange things happened.’” 

Austin American-Statesman: “The post was an apparent reference to Kennedy saying on a podcast last year that he had doubts about the official account of the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, including whether al-Qaida bore responsibility. In the podcast, Kennedy said he was not a 9/11 expert, nor perhaps the best person to comment on the attacks. But, he added, ‘I don’t always accept official explanations.’”

Kennedy has refused to disclose basic medical information, including the fact that he once had a parasitic brain worm.

New York Times: “About the same time he learned of the parasite, he said, he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing the dangerous heavy metal, which can cause serious neurological issues […] Mr. Kennedy said he was then subsisting on a diet heavy on predatory fish, notably tuna and perch, both known to have elevated mercury levels. In the interview with The Times, he said that he had experienced ‘severe brain fog’ and had trouble retrieving words. Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has railed against the dangers of mercury contamination in fish from coal-fired power plants, had his blood tested […] He also underwent chelation therapy, a treatment that binds to metals in the body so they can be expelled.”

Fox News: “Kennedy Cover-Up: Failing To Disclose A Brain-Eating Worm And Other Problems.”

Kennedy has not denied allegations of sexual assault, instead saying that he’s “not a church boy.”

Rolling Stone: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to an accusation that he sexually assaulted a family babysitter at his home by brushing off the incident, asserting that he is not a ‘church boy’ and had a ‘very rambunctious youth.’”

Boston Globe: “A devastating and detailed report by Vanity Fair last week — including a credible allegation of sexual assault against Kennedy — provided a fresh setback to the already ailing campaign. Asked if other women might come forward with similar allegations he said, ‘I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.’”