Robert F. Kennedy Jr has told supporters of Children’s Health Defense that he remains a “strong and steadfast friend at the White House”, renewing his campaign against vaccines as measles cases in the United States pass a 35-year record.
The Health Secretary told the anti-vaccine organisation’s conference in Washington that he would “die with my boots on” while pursuing answers about the risks of vaccines. His appearance marked a renewed embrace of the movement he founded, after political advisers had reportedly urged him to avoid the issue earlier this year.
Mr Kennedy’s speech came a day after President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr Nicole Saphier, gave a strong defence of vaccines during her Senate confirmation hearing, saying they were safe and effective.
Mr Kennedy initially focused on food safety and nutrition, subjects that are more broadly popular with voters, before turning to vaccines. The conference also featured claims that have been rejected by medical research and references to discredited studies.
Mark Gorton, president of the MAHA Institute, told the gathering that the success of the polio vaccine was “a massive medical fraud” and described widespread vaccination as a “public health disaster”. He received a standing ovation.
Mr Kennedy followed him on stage, while Andrew Wakefield, the British doctor whose retracted research wrongly linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine with autism, was due to speak afterwards. Decades of research have found no such link.
Measles deaths intensify vaccine dispute
The conference took place as measles cases reached about 3,300, the highest level in 35 years. Officials in Pennsylvania reported a fourth death this week, involving an 18-year-old; earlier fatalities included two infants and a 40-year-old woman.
The adults who died were unvaccinated, while the infants were too young to receive the vaccine. Mr Kennedy previously questioned whether measles had contributed to the first reported deaths and suggested they may have been “fabricated”.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which he oversees, has not acknowledged the deaths and is reporting no measles deaths for 2026.
Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, criticised Mr Kennedy’s decision to address the conference during the outbreak. “He needed to say one sentence: I urge all Americans to get the measles vaccine now to protect themselves and their families during this deadly outbreak,” he said in a social media post.
Mr Trump has also entered the vaccine debate. Last month he signed an executive order calling for the number of vaccines given to children to be limited, and falsely described the measles shot as “lethal” at a White House signing ceremony.
Dr Mehmet Oz, one of the administration’s senior health officials, later corrected the claim during an interview, saying: “The M.M.R. vaccine is not a lethal vaccine.”
The president’s support appears to have encouraged Mr Kennedy to take a prominent role at the gathering of his former non-profit organisation. He told delegates that he would “be in this fight” to the end and said his team was conducting studies before taking what he called “appropriate action”.
He also won applause after promising to examine the health effects of electromagnetic radiation and so-called chemtrails. The Environmental Protection Agency has said the trails left by aircraft are condensation rather than chemicals.
Children’s Health Defense seeks wider policy changes
Mr Kennedy said his administration was working to require more information about chemicals and additives in food that have undergone limited testing. He suggested they were likely connected to health problems among children, including obesity, neurological disorders and ADHD.
Children’s Health Defense also campaigns on alleged exposure to pesticides and radiation from mobile phone masts, mobile phones and other devices, although much of its advocacy is centred on vaccines.
Mary Holland, the organisation’s chief executive, gave evidence in New Hampshire earlier this year in support of removing requirements for children to be vaccinated before starting school. The bill, along with other measures aimed at school-entry vaccine requirements, did not pass.
About 290 people attended the conference at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, with a further 230 watching online, according to an organisation spokesman.
Michael Kane, the group’s director of advocacy, said at the start of the event that the administration’s support for parental and religious rights had transformed the movement. “Now we are a national movement that isn’t going anywhere,” he said.
