The Dangerous Misinformation of RFK Jr.: A Fact-Checked Rebuttal
RFK Jr was recently on Tucker Carlson's Podcast and made many false claims
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—speaking as a Secretary of Health and Human Services—reiterated a series of claims about vaccines that are not just false, but dangerous. These ideas are decades old, long discredited by the scientific community, yet they continue to gain traction due to Kennedy's visibility and rhetorical polish. This article breaks down several of the most harmful assertions from that interview and provides evidence-based context.
Kennedy again falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism, specifically referencing a 1999 CDC study allegedly linking the hepatitis B vaccine to autism. This is a long-debunked theory rooted in poor methodology and deliberate misrepresentation. Dozens of large-scale studies have found no causal link between any vaccine and autism (CDC, 2023). The Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) concluded in its 2011 report that the evidence "favors rejection of a causal relationship" between the MMR vaccine and autism (IOM, 2011).
Another major claim Kennedy pushed was that the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), is effectively “captured” by pharmaceutical interests. While members are required to disclose potential conflicts and are subject to strict ethics rules, Kennedy claimed ACIP has never rejected a vaccine for inclusion on the schedule. This is false. ACIP has, in fact, withheld or delayed recommendations, including for the Lyme disease vaccine in the 1990s and more recently reconsidered RSV vaccines for certain groups.
Kennedy also claimed that childhood vaccines are never tested using placebo-controlled trials. This is misleading. Placebo-controlled trials are routinely used in the development of new vaccines. Once a vaccine becomes standard of care, it is often unethical to use a placebo, so comparators are used instead. He also ignored the existence of large-scale surveillance programs like the Vaccine Safety Datalink, which monitors the health outcomes of over 12 million people and has published numerous real-world safety studies.
Perhaps most dangerously, Kennedy falsely suggested that the COVID-19 vaccines have killed more people than they saved. He misrepresented Pfizer's trial data, claiming more people died in the vaccinated group than in the placebo group, without distinguishing between causes of death. In reality, COVID-19 vaccines have saved an estimated 20 million lives in their first year of use globally
He also claimed that the hepatitis b vaccine increased the risk of developing autism by 1135%. He cited a 1999 study that was presented at a CDC conference and claimed that the data was suppressed. This is far from the truth. There is a transcript that you can look at where the information was discussed at length and nowhere was the 1135% number even mentioned in the Simpson CDC meeting.
Another recurring myth was Kennedy's misuse of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). He cited a 2010 pilot project conducted at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care that suggested underreporting in VAERS, using this to claim that 1 in 37 vaccines causes injury. But VAERS is a passive system not meant to measure incidence rates. It serves as an early warning tool and cannot establish causality. The very Harvard study he references was exploratory, not definitive.
Kennedy further claimed that pediatricians are paid to vaccinate and will kick patients out of their practices if they decline. While some insurers offer performance-based incentives for meeting preventive care benchmarks, the idea that pediatricians reject patients primarily for financial reasons misrepresents why some practices choose to part ways with vaccine-refusing families. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that these decisions are about protecting immunocompromised patients and maintaining trust in science—not chasing bonuses.
A particularly misleading number Kennedy cited is that children receive “69 to 92” vaccine doses. This inflates the CDC schedule by counting every individual dose, even boosters, and exaggerates vaccine burden. In truth, the CDC recommends about 16 different vaccines from birth to age 18, with varying numbers of doses depending on disease, age, and formulation (CDC Immunization Schedule).
Kennedy also asserted that independent, critical studies of vaccines are not allowed to be published. This is demonstrably false. Leading journals have published research on rare adverse effects, including myocarditis and thrombosis, and these findings have led to adjusted guidelines and enhanced safety surveillance. There is no evidence that vaccine-critical papers are systematically suppressed.
Why This Matters
Kennedy wraps these ideas in appeals to transparency and populism, but they are riddled with distortions. While it’s true that public health systems can always improve transparency and accountability, undermining vaccine confidence through lies harms communities—particularly the most vulnerable. Herd immunity depends on widespread uptake. Misinformation erodes that trust.
What RFK Jr. is promoting isn’t scientific skepticism—it’s scientific cynicism. The difference is that the former questions evidence, while the latter dismisses it, and in an age where lives depend on trust in evidence-based medicine, that cynicism is deadly.
Although not required, any support is greatly appreciated.
RFK Jr does not belong in DHHS. He is an absolutely danger to public health.
How the hell does he live with himself?!