Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | |
|---|---|
Kennedy in 2025 | |
| 26th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| Assumed office February 13, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Jim O'Neill (nominee) |
| Preceded by | Xavier Becerra |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. January 17, 1954 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse(s) | Emily Black
(m. 1982; div. 1994) |
| Children | 6 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Kennedy family |
| Education | |
| Occupation |
|
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954) is an American politician, radio host, activist, and attorney in environmental law. Kennedy Jr. has been the 26th and current United States Secretary of Health and Human Services since 2025 during the second Donald Trump administration. He hosted the radio program Ring of Fire. He is also a vaccine hesitancy activist, and as a result, he has frequently promoted information regarding them.
Kennedy Jr. was an Independent candidate for President of the United States in the 2024 presidential election. He ran for the Democratic nomination against President Joe Biden before becoming an Independent. He ended his campaign in August 2024 to support former President Donald Trump's campaign.
In November 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Kennedy Jr. to serve as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 2025.
Early life
[change | change source]Kennedy was born on January 17, 1954 in Washington, D.C. to Ethel Skakel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.[1] He is the nephew of John F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. Kennedy studied at Harvard University, University of Virginia School of Law, and at Pace University School of Law.
Legal career
[change | change source]Kennedy Jr. began his career as an assistant district attorney in New York City. In the mid-1980s, he joined two nonprofits focused on environmental protection.[2] His work at Riverkeeper created a long-term environmental legal standards. Kennedy won legal battles against large corporate polluters.
Kennedy Jr. became a professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law in 1986.[3] In 1987, Kennedy founded Pace's Environmental Litigation Clinic. He was a supervising attorney and co-director there until 2017.[4] He founded the nonprofit environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance in 1999, serving as the president of its board until 2020.[5]
Environmental activism
[change | change source]In 2013, Kennedy helped the Chipewyan First Nation in fighting to protect their land from tar sands production.[6] In February 2013, while protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline Kennedy, along with his son, Conor, was arrested for blocking a thoroughfare in front of the White House during a protest.[7]
Anti-vaccination activism
[change | change source]Since 2005, Kennedy has supported anti-vaccine misinformation.[8] and public-health conspiracy theories,[9] including the false claim that vaccines cause autism.[10] Kennedy has said that he supports medical freedom and does not believe the government should be involved with public health matters. He has been criticized by medical experts for his views.[11][12]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been a figure in COVID-19 vaccine misinformation in the United States.[13] Many of his false health claims have been against Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, and Joe Biden.
Kennedy Jr. has written books including The Real Anthony Fauci (2021) and A Letter to Liberals (2022).
2024 presidential campaign
[change | change source]In April 2023, Kennedy announced his plans to run for President of the United States, challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination in the 2024 election.[14] In October 2023, he withdrew from the Democratic nomination to run as an Independent.[15]
In August 2024, Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump.[16]
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (2025–present)
[change | change source]Nomination and confirmation hearings
[change | change source]On November 14, 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Kennedy Jr. to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services for his second administration.[17] In December 2024, more than 75 Nobel Laureates urged the U.S. Senate to vote against Kennedy Jr.'s nomination, saying he would "put the public's health in jeopardy".[18][19]
In January 2025, the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) held hearings on Kennedy's nomination.[20][21] Senator Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the HELP committee, was very critical of Kennedy during the committee hearing.[22]
On February 4, 2025, the Senate Committee on Finance voted 14–13 to forward Kennedy's nomination to a full Senate vote.[23] Of the two committees Kennedy spoke before, only the Senate Finance was to vote on his nomination.[24] On February 13, 2025, Kennedy was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the United States secretary of health and human services by a vote of 52 to 48, with former Senate Republican Conference leader Mitch McConnell being the only Republican to vote against him.[25]
Tenure
[change | change source]Kennedy Jr. was sworn into office on February 13, 2025 at the White House by Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch.[26] He is the first independent or third-party presidential candidate to become a cabinet member after running for president outside of the two major parties.[27]
The next morning, agencies including the CDC and NIH were informed that about 5,200 newly hired federal health workers were to be fired that day.[28]
Personal life
[change | change source]Kennedy was married to Emily Ruth Black from 1982 until they divorced in 1994. He was married to Mary Richardson from 1994 until her death in 2012. In 2014, he married actress Cheryl Hines. He has six children. Kennedy is a Catholic.[29]
Kennedy began having short-and-long-term memory loss in 2010. In a 2012, he said that his neurological issues were because of "a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died".[30] He also said that he had mercury poisoning from eating a lot of tuna fish.[30][31][32]
In July 2024, Vanity Fair reported that in the late 1990s, when he was in his 40s, Kennedy sexually harassed Eliza Cooney, a 23-year-old part-time babysitter for his children.[33] Kennedy Jr. called this story "garbage" and untrue.[33]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Huffington Post.
- ↑ Agee, J'nelle (March 18, 2017). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Resigns from Riverkeeper". Spectrum News. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ↑ "Robert F. Kennedy, Jr". JW Howard Attorneys. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Steve (April 29, 2015). "RFK Jr. to address College of Law graduates". Nebraska Today. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ↑ "Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Resigns as Waterkeeper Alliance President". Waterkeeper Alliance. November 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ↑ Weber, Bob (June 12, 2013). "Prominent U.S. Keystone critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to visit oilsands". Macleans. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ↑ Spear, Stefanie (February 13, 2013). "Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Bill McKibben, Michael Brune, Among Others Will Risk Arrest Today at White House to Stop Tar Sands, Keystone XL Pipeline". EcoWatch.
- ↑ Multiple sources:
- ↑ Multiple sources:
- The Anti-Vaxx Playbook (PDF) (Report). Center for Countering Digital Hate. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- Oshin, Olafimihan (January 23, 2022). "Auschwitz Memorial says RFK Jr. speech at anti-vaccine rally exploits Holocaust tragedy". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
During a speech at the rally, Kennedy, a conspiracy theorist and prominent anti-vaxxer, warned of a massive surveillance network created with satellites in space and 5G mobile networks collecting data.
- "Cheryl Hines Blasts Husband RFK Jr. for Holocaust Remark". TheWrap. January 25, 2022. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
Cheryl Hines has publicly condemned a statement made by her husband Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a rally on Sunday, in which the environmental lawyer and conspiracy theorist likened COVID regulations to the Holocaust.
- "Guests urged to be vaccinated at anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr's party". The Guardian. December 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
The younger Kennedy has campaigned on environmental issues but is also a leading vaccines conspiracy theorist and activist against shots including those approved to combat Covid-19, which has killed more than 805,000 in the US and more than 5.3 million worldwide.
- Dorn, Sara. "RFK Jr. Makes Unfounded Claims About Mass Shootings, Covid-19: Here Are All The Conspiracies He Promotes". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- "Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Conspiracy Theories Go Beyond Vaccines". The New York Times. July 6, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer, is a leading vaccine skeptic and purveyor of conspiracy theories who has leaned heavily on misinformation as he mounts his long-shot 2024 campaign for the Democratic nomination.
- ↑ Mnookin, Seth (January 11, 2017). "How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Distorted Vaccine Science". Scientific American. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017.
For more than a decade, Kennedy has promoted anti-vaccine propaganda completely unconnected to reality.
- ↑ Lamas, Daniela (April 24, 2024). "Skepticism Is Healthy, but in Medicine, It Can Be Dangerous". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024.
- ↑ Kennedy, Robert F. Jr. (2021). The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5107-6680-8.
- ↑ Nagourney, Adam (February 26, 2022). "A Kennedy's Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and Friends". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ↑ Bradner, Eric; Wright, David (2023-04-05). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files paperwork to run for president as a Democrat". CNN.
- ↑ Gibson, Brittany; Zhang, Andrew (October 9, 2023). "RFK Jr. announces he will run as an independent candidate". Politico. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ Steinhauser, Paul (August 22, 2024). "Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to endorse Trump for president, court filing shows". Fox News. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ↑ Dorn, Sara (2024-11-14). "Trump Taps RFK Jr. As Secretary Of Health And Human Services: Here Are All The Conspiracies He's Promoted". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ↑ "Read the Letter From Nobel Laureates Urging That Mr. Kennedy Not be Confirmed". The New York Times. December 9, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ↑ Rosenbluth, Teddy (December 9, 2024). "Nobel Laureates Urge Senate to Turn Down Kennedy's Nomination". New York Times.
- ↑ "Hearing to consider the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services | The United States Senate Committee on Finance". www.finance.senate.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services | The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions". www.help.senate.gov. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Ruberg, Sara; Mandavilli, Apoorva (January 30, 2025). "Sanders and Kennedy Trade Barbs on Vaccines and Health Care". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (February 4, 2025). "RFK Jr.'s Nomination as Health Secretary Passes Committee Vote: Trump Administration Live Updates". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
- ↑ Weaver, Al (February 4, 2025). "Gabbard, RFK Jr. face make-or-break moment after perilous hearings". The Hill. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
Kennedy appeared for two confirmation hearings, but only the Finance Committee will vote on whether to advance him.
- ↑ Weixel, Nathaniel (February 13, 2025). "Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health secretary; McConnell lone GOP dissenter". The Hill. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ↑ Seitz, Amanda (February 13, 2025). "Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sworn in as Trump's health chief after a close Senate vote". Associated Press. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ↑ Winger, Richard (February 13, 2025). "U.S. Senate Confirms Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Cabinet". Ballot Access News. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
- ↑ Owermohle, Sarah; Lawrence, Lizzy; Branswell, Helen; Herper, Matthew (2025-02-14). "Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies". STAT. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ↑ "A natural devotion". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Pengelly, Martin (May 8, 2024). "Robert F Kennedy Jr says health issue caused by dead worm in his brain". The Guardian. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ↑ Craig, Susanne (May 8, 2024). "R.F.K. Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Worm in His Brain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ↑ Nirappil, Fenit (May 8, 2024). "RFK Jr. revealed he had a parasitic brain worm. Here's what to know". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Wendling, Mike (July 2, 2024). "'I am not a church boy': RFK Jr responds to sex assault allegation". BBC News. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Pace Law School Profile Archived February 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
- The Waterkeepers feature documentary (2000)
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Politifact
| Secretaries of Health and Human Services | ||
|---|---|---|
- 1954 births
- Living people
- Kennedy family
- Robert F. Kennedy
- 2024 United States presidential candidates
- American radio personalities
- American political activists
- Writers from Washington, D.C.
- American bloggers
- Politicians from Washington, D.C.
- Politicians from Los Angeles
- Writers from Los Angeles
- Democratic Party (United States) politicians
- Independent politicians in the United States
- Libertarian Party (United States) politicians
- Politicians from Massachusetts
- Writers from Massachusetts
- Lawyers from Massachusetts
- Lawyers from Los Angeles
- Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
- United States Secretaries of Health and Human Services