Kennedy Returns to Keynote Anti-Vaccine Group He Once Led — SkimNews
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- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver a keynote Thursday at the Children's Health Defense conference at the Grand Hyatt Washington — his first public appearance for the group since becoming Health Secretary.
- Kennedy joined Children's Health Defense in 2015 and chaired it until December 2024, earning a six-figure salary while helping file dozens of lawsuits targeting state-level vaccine policies, per his financial disclosures.
- Children's Health Defense has gained unprecedented access to political power through Kennedy's HHS tenure, with once-fringe beliefs — including the disproven theory that vaccines cause autism — echoed by Trump in the White House.
- CHD leaders including attorney Mary Holland have attended high-profile MAHA gatherings in Washington and secured positions inside the Department of Health and Human Services.
- The keynote stands in sharp contrast to Kennedy's January 2025 confirmation hearing, when he told senators he would not discourage Americans from getting vaccines and told Sen. Bernie Sanders, 'I am supportive of vaccines.'
- Kennedy severed ties with CHD only shortly before Trump took office, after taking leave during his own presidential campaign — meaning his keynote is a full reversal of the separation he claimed during his confirmation.
Why it matters: Kennedy's keynote directly contradicts his January 2025 confirmation promise not to discourage vaccination. With CHD leaders now embedded inside HHS and the group's disproven theories echoed from the White House, the nation's top health official is lending his full-throated endorsement to the organization he founded — a credibility cost borne by federal public-health messaging.
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