RFK Jr. Tried to Kill the Covid Vaccine When It Was Needed Most
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to “Make America Healthy Again” as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services — petitioned the government to stop use of all Covid-19 vaccines in the heart of the pandemic. Kennedy petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in May 2021, asking that the agency revoke authorization for Covid vaccines, The New York Times reported Friday.
Kennedy has a long history of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories, and was a vocal opponent of preventative measures during the pandemic. In 2022, at a rally organized by his group Children’s Health Defense, he compared measures around Covid to circumstances during the Holocaust. “Even in Hitler’s Germany, you could cross the Alps to Switzerland. You could hide in an attic like Anne Frank did,” he said. He later apologized.
The petition to stop Covid vaccinations was filed on behalf of Children’s Health Defense, theanti-vaccine nonprofit that Kennedy founded. The organization has also filed more than two dozen lawsuits about vaccines and public health. In November, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the group to shield doctors in Washington state who were under investigation for spreading misinformation about Covid.
“Acting on this Citizen Petition will enhance the FDA’s credibility with the public,” Kennedy and Meryl Nass, at the time a physician, wrote in their petition about the Covid vaccine. In 2023, a regulatory board in Maine suspended Nass’ license and fined her $10,000 for her treatment of three patients diagnosed with Covid. She is alleged to have improperly prescribed the antiparasitic drugs ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to these patients.
The petition also falsely argues that ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are treatments for Covid — a claim that has been discredited.
In August, the FDA denied the petition. “FDA has a stringent regulatory process for licensing vaccines,” the organization wrote in its denial. Experts estimate that the Covid vaccine prevented up to 140,000 deaths in the U.S.
Kennedy told NBC News in November that he would not ban vaccines in his role in the Trump administration. “If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away,” he said. “People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information …So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”
Trump defended Kennedy last month. “I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think,” he said.
That hasn’t stopped concerns, though. Experts are now worried about how he would handle an outbreak of H5N1, or bird flu. Kennedy posted on X last June that there is “no evidence” that bird flu vaccines will work. Last week, over 17,000 doctors signed a letter urging senators to reject his nomination to lead HHS.
More from Rolling Stone
Best of Rolling Stone
Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.