Kennedy tells anti-vaccine activists they have a friend in Trump’s White House

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a keynote address at the Children's Health Defense conference, a gathering of anti-vaccine activists. Kennedy, who once chaired the group, told the audience that they had a "strong and steadfast friend" in President Donald Trump's administration. He highlighted the administration's efforts to reduce the childhood vaccination schedule and alter a key vaccine advisory board, despite these efforts being halted by a judge.

Kennedy praised the Trump administration's attempts to change vaccine guidance, including an executive order that called for spacing out the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, despite medical groups' recommendations. This keynote speech marks a shift by the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, which had earlier this year appeared to be moving towards a less contentious agenda on healthy food ahead of the midterm elections.

Critics, including many medical associations, fear that these changes could fuel vaccine hesitancy and create confusion among the American public, who are still struggling with trust in public health agencies following the COVID-19 pandemic. Kennedy emphasized that no vaccines have been taken away from anyone, but that they are now seeking the questions that parents and millions of American parents have been asking for years.