Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is back in the headlines with a pair of contradictory statements about America’s handling of the pandemic and the role of President Donald Trump. Just days after suggesting Trump should get a Nobel Peace Prize for Operation Warp Speed, Kennedy went on Fox & Friends and blasted U.S. public health agencies as ineffective for decades.
When asked about their biggest accomplishment, Kennedy didn’t hold back. “Well I don’t think there have been successes,” he said. “I think we’ve seen a 30 or 40 year decline in the agency, because it’s been infiltrated by the pharmaceutical companies”, reported the Daily Beast.
He went on to call the nation’s pandemic response the worst in the world, even though it came from the same Trump administration he had just praised. “We did worse in COVID than any country in the world,” Kennedy said. He claimed he was brought in to “shake up” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, promising to fire those who, in his view, imposed masks and social distancing without science.
The comments came right after Kennedy testified before the Senate Finance Committee, where lawmakers pressed him on his moves at the Department of Health and Human Services, including pushing out CDC leadership and cutting access to vaccines. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican and physician, challenged Kennedy directly on his sudden admiration for Trump’s vaccine program.
“Do you agree with me that the president deserves a Nobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed?” Cassidy asked. “Yeah, absolutely, Senator,” Kennedy replied.
Cassidy didn’t let it slide. He reminded Kennedy that under his leadership, the department canceled half a billion dollars in contracts tied to the mRNA platform used for the COVID vaccine. He also pointed out Kennedy’s lawsuits aimed at limiting vaccine access, saying it was “surprising” he’d praise Operation Warp Speed while also undermining it.
Kennedy has long had a complicated relationship with Trump’s handling of the pandemic, swinging between admiration and harsh critique depending on the moment. Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan called him out for that inconsistency, citing his own Instagram post where he accused Trump of being weak. In the post, Kennedy said, “Operation Warp Speed and the lockdowns were the most devastating impact of President Trump’s weakness, but not the only one.”
(Photo: NBC Bay Area)
The back-and-forth highlights Kennedy’s unusual political path. Once a Democratic presidential hopeful, he’s now positioned himself as a contrarian voice within the government, attacking the institutions he leads while occasionally siding with Trump, a president he’s also accused of failing the country.
Whether Kennedy’s criticisms and contradictions resonate with the public or simply deepen skepticism about his leadership remains to be seen. What’s clear is that his comments have stirred up questions about how he views the pandemic, Trump’s legacy, and the future of America’s public health system.