President Donald Trump is backing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., even as critics warn his policies could shake the U.S. healthcare system and pose serious public health risks. Trump’s support comes despite pressure from Congress, public health experts, and the political fallout that could follow if vaccination rates drop and outbreaks occur.
Since taking office, Kennedy has cut funding for vaccine research, restricted access to COVID-19 shots, and removed the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency that sets U.S. vaccine guidelines. Experts warn these moves could have wide-reaching consequences for Americans’ health and leave Trump politically exposed.
Still, sources close to the president say he remains steadfast in his support. “He’s a very good person, he means well, and he’s got some different ideas,” Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House after Kennedy faced tough questions from lawmakers. “I like the fact that he’s different.”
Trump and Kennedy speak regularly, though not as frequently as Trump does with other cabinet members. A White House official said the president doesn’t share Kennedy’s intensity on some issues, but he trusts the secretary’s judgment.
Kennedy earned the Health and Human Services post after Trump gained backing from the Kennedy-inspired Make America Healthy Again movement during the 2024 election. Kennedy, from one of America’s most prominent political families, had briefly run for president before endorsing Trump.
Last December, Trump downplayed fears that Kennedy would push extreme changes. “I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” Trump said at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump’s Complicated Vaccine Record
Trump’s own record on vaccines is mixed. He oversaw rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines during his first term but has been hesitant to fully embrace them, reflecting skepticism among his political base.
Recently, Florida leaders announced plans to end all state vaccine mandates, including school requirements. Trump seemed cautious in response. “Look, you have some vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing,” he said. “You have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very tough position.”
Polling shows a clear partisan divide. In May, 75% of Democrats said vaccines like MMR are “very safe” for children, up from 64% in 2020. Among Republicans, that number fell to 41% from 57% five years ago.
Marc Short, a former Trump aide, said the president is aware of these dynamics. “There are risks for Kennedy,” Short noted. “If there’s something embarrassing to the president, he can pivot quickly.”
Trump has also questioned vaccine companies’ claims that their products saved millions of lives, despite evidence from a Yale study showing COVID-19 vaccines prevented over 18.5 million hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths in the U.S. between December 2020 and November 2022.
Political and Public Health Fallout
During a heated congressional hearing Thursday, Kennedy faced bipartisan criticism. His suggestion that Trump receive a Nobel Prize for vaccine efforts pleased the president, according to a White House official. Republican lawmakers softened some criticism due to support for Operation Warp Speed, Trump’s vaccine development program.
Senator John Barrasso cited Trump polling showing overwhelming voter support for vaccine guidance from trained experts: 89% of all voters and 81% of Trump supporters agreed.
Trump allies, including Vice President JD Vance, defended Kennedy online. “You’re full of [expletive] and everyone knows it,” Vance wrote on X.
Public health experts warn the Trump-Kennedy alliance could have dangerous consequences. “They made a marriage of convenience that’s going to have unprecedented and disastrous results for public health, healthcare, and biomedical research,” said Gregg Gonsalves of Yale, who praised Operation Warp Speed as a major success.
