RFK Jr. to keynote Children's Health Defense conference — SkimNews
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- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver a keynote at a Children's Health Defense conference Thursday at the Grand Hyatt Washington, with CHD announcing it as welcoming "our founder back to the CHD stage."
- Kennedy joined CHD in 2015 and chaired the organization until December 2024, earning a six-figure salary while helping file dozens of lawsuits targeting state-level vaccine policies.
- Kennedy took leave from CHD during his presidential campaign and severed ties permanently shortly before President Trump took office.
- The Thursday appearance marks Kennedy's first public embrace of CHD since becoming HHS secretary — a marked shift from his January 2025 confirmation hearings, when he promised senators he would not discourage Americans from getting vaccines.
- During confirmation, Sen. Bernie Sanders repeatedly pressed Kennedy about "Unvaxxed, Unafraid" onesies sold by CHD, asking whether he supported them; Kennedy replied, "I am supportive of vaccines" and said he had "no power" over the nonprofit.
- CHD's beliefs — including the disproven theory that vaccines cause autism — have been echoed by Trump from the White House, and group figures such as attorney Mary Holland have secured positions inside HHS.
Why it matters: Kennedy told senators under oath in January 2025 that he wouldn't discourage vaccination and claimed no power over CHD; less than a year later he's headlining their annual conference. CHD's leaders now sit inside HHS, giving the group direct influence over the federal health agenda it spent years trying to reshape from outside.
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