Washington D.C. – RFK Jr’s newly released interview with USA Today is Exhibit A on why Trump’s health secretary is a highly untrustworthy source of information, and whose every statement should be subjected to scrutiny for the sake of our public health.
“With RFK Jr, it’s prudent to assume his rhetoric is false or misleading until proven otherwise. It’s bold for Secretary Kennedy to claim with a straight face that he has never been anti-vaccine after years of peddling vaccine misinformation,” said Kayla Hancock, Director of Public Health Watch, a project of Protect Our Care. “There’s never been a more prolific vaccine opponent at the highest levels of government than RFK Jr. who is clearly immune to all peer-reviewed data and science proving the safety and efficacy of vaccines. This is someone who got rich and whose family continues to get richer from frivolous anti-HPV vaccine lawsuits. The longer RFK Jr. sits in this position of power, the more Americans will be put at risk of otherwise completely preventable diseases.”
RFK RHETORIC: “Electromagnetic radiation is, I think, a major health concern” and we should be “very concerned” about 5G towers. Electromagnetic radiation causes “cancer, tumor growth […] it opens your blood-brain barrier, DNA damage, many, many other bad effects.”
REALITY: There are no scientifically proven adverse health impacts from exposure to 5G radio frequency radiation and misinformation about the dangers of 5G towers like what Kennedy spouted to USA Today has led to attacks on telecommunications workers and infrastructure..
- The WHO found “no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies” and the International Commission on Non‐Ionizing Radiation Protection found that 5G is safe
- The National Cancer Institute at NIH in a detailed review found that “the evidence to date suggests that cell phone use does not cause brain or other kinds of cancer in humans.”
- And the FDA determined in 2020 that “there are no quantifiable adverse health effects in humans caused by exposures at or under the current cell phone exposure limits.”
- Overheated rhetoric about the supposed dangers of 5G has led to a series of attacks on telecommunications workers and infrastructure in the UK and beyond.
RFK RHETORIC: “I’ve never been anti-vaccine. I’ve said that thousands and thousands of times.”
REALITY: Kennedy is an anti-vaccine extremist and has been for decades – and there have been deadly consequences.
- In a July 2023 appearance on Lex Fridman’s podcast, when pressed on whether he is opposed to all vaccines, Kennedy said, “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
- Kennedy told a podcast on the “state of health freedom” in 2021 that, “our job is to resist and to talk about [vaccines] to everyone.” Kennedy claimed that if he sees someone “on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, ‘Better not get vaccinated.’”
- In 2019, Kennedy visited Samoa at the invitation of a local anti-vaccine influencer. At the time the island nation was attempting to get its vaccination program back on track after two children died following a nurse’s error in mixing measles vaccines. Kennedy met with the Samoan prime minister and prominent local anti-vaccine activists. A few months later, a measles epidemic broke out in Samoa, killing 83 people, mostly infants and children.
RFK RHETORIC: Kennedy repeated “anecdotal reports” about big pharma companies intentionally holding back cures for cancer and conceded he had no idea whether they were true or not.
REALITY: The only people “holding back” cures for cancer are Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump.
- Per a May 2025 US Senate Minority Staff report, the federal government cut approximately $2.7 billion in NIH funding over the first 3 months of 2025 alone, including a 31% decrease in funding for cancer research through March 2025
- Nearly 1 in 30 clinical trials were interrupted by funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health last year, affecting more than 74,000 patients and research into cancer, infectious disease and more, according to a newly published paper.
RFK Jr: Fluoride in water is a nine out of ten “huge concern.” Fluoride “reduces IQ” and “we need smart people in this country.”
REALITY: Fluoride is a powerful tool for preventing tooth decay and safe when used at recommended levels. It’s actually poor oral health that can cause pain, impact children’s performance in school, and lead to long-term health problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory issues.
- Large, high-quality reviews and massive meta analyses have found that fluoride at levels used in community water fluoridation is not associated with reduced IQ in children – and a 2025 study in Science found that “children exposed to recommended levels of fluoride in drinking water exhibit modestly better cognition in secondary school”
- Studies that do report IQ decreases generally involve fluoride levels far higher than those found in U.S. fluoridated water.
- Major national pediatric and dental groups continue to endorse water fluoridation as safe and effective. And the CDC itself continues to promote “the safety and benefits of community water fluoridation as an effective, cost-efficient method for preventing tooth decay and improving overall oral health.”
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