President Donald Trump has come to a private determination that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and extreme health policy positions have descended into the realm of the ridiculous, according to journalist Michael Wolff during an appearance on The Daily Beast’s “Inside Trump’s Head” podcast.
“I know that he’s been calling around and saying to people, you know, ‘I hear people say, Bobby is crazy. You think he’s crazy?'” Wolff told his co-host Joanna Coles. “And you know the answer he wants.”
The president appears to be creating space between himself and the cabinet member he selected for the position. Based on a Wall Street Journal article from the previous week, White House staff members are becoming increasingly concerned that Kennedy’s policy initiatives might harm Republican contenders in the 2026 midterm races, an electoral contest already anticipated to pose significant challenges for the GOP.
The alleged presidential criticism arrives as Kennedy’s attack on mainstream medical science keeps producing escalating scandals—from promoting discredited anti-vaccine claims to removing experienced scientists from federal health institutions. His time in office has overlapped with measles infections climbing to their highest level in over thirty years, with the United States documenting more than 2,285 confirmed infections in 2025, the greatest number since the illness was officially declared eliminated in 2000. By the end of March 2026, the CDC had documented over 1,575 further confirmed infections.
Since assuming his position, Kennedy has methodically taken apart critical elements of the nation’s public health system. During June 2025, he terminated all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, asserting a “clean sweep” was necessary to “reestablish public confidence in vaccine science.” He removed CDC Director Susan Monarez in late August following her refusal to approve vaccine policy modifications and dismiss senior personnel. Lawyers representing Monarez characterized the dismissal as politically driven, stating she “chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda.”
During his service, the health secretary has advanced progressively outlandish medical claims. Without supporting evidence, Kennedy asserted that nations with the highest acetaminophen usage show the highest autism rates. He further stated he had viewed a TikTok video featuring a woman “gobbling Tylenol” who delivered a “baby in her placenta.” Based on these unsupported assertions, Trump himself subsequently advised expectant mothers and parents to avoid acetaminophen.
Following Kennedy’s instructions, the CDC modified its website to challenge the prevailing scientific consensus that vaccines are not linked to autism. His personally selected vaccine advisers have raised questions about administering hepatitis B vaccines to infants, while Kennedy expressed skepticism regarding the measles vaccine and advocated for treatments lacking scientific validation. “This was everybody’s fear about having RFK Jr. as our HHS secretary,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Pandemic Center at Brown University.
Over 1,000 present and past HHS staff members put their names on an open letter declaring Kennedy is “compromising the health of this nation” and calling for his departure. Confidence in the CDC among the public has fallen to its weakest level since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A shooting attack targeting the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters on August 8, 2025, resulted in the death of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose. The assailant, driven by vaccine skepticism, discharged over 180 rounds at CDC facilities. Past CDC staff members attributed responsibility to Kennedy’s incendiary language and false information for contributing to the violent incident.
Tensions between Trump and Kennedy allegedly escalated following Trump’s signing of an executive order on February 18, 2026, utilizing the Defense Production Act to mandate American manufacturing of herbicides containing glyphosate. The action shocked Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again followers, considering Kennedy had previously secured almost $289 million in a lawsuit against Monsanto on behalf of a man who alleged Roundup caused his cancer, with Roundup being the commercial name for glyphosate-containing products.
A May 2025 document from Kennedy’s MAHA Commission observed glyphosate and atrazine detected in children’s and expectant mothers’ blood at “alarming levels.” However, the following strategy document contained no reference to glyphosate, and the Trump administration sided with Bayer in an ongoing Supreme Court matter that could dismiss thousands of legal claims asserting Roundup leads to cancer. Oral presentations are set for April 27, 2026.
Kennedy allegedly had no advance knowledge of the glyphosate executive order, according to CNBC. MAHA advocates responded with outrage, perceiving the action as a repudiation of Kennedy’s declared values as the 2026 midterm elections approached. Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, called the order “a big middle finger to every MAHA mom.”
During May 2025, Kennedy declared that the federal CDC would discontinue recommending COVID-19 booster vaccinations for healthy minors and women who are pregnant, leading prominent medical organizations to contest the modification. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintain their vaccination recommendations for these populations regardless of the CDC’s revised position. Kennedy additionally revealed new appointees to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, maintaining his emphasis on the developmental condition notwithstanding the absence of scientific support for his hypotheses regarding its origins.
The alleged presidential dissatisfaction with Kennedy indicates possible boundaries to the extent Trump will permit his health secretary’s program to advance. At the same time, Republican opposition to Kennedy’s appointees has intensified. Senator Bill Cassidy, who provided a crucial confirmation vote for Kennedy, has openly criticized him regarding reductions to mRNA vaccine funding. Nevertheless, Kennedy has avoided the series of terminations that recently affected the Department of Homeland Security, making his continued presence in the administration unclear as Republican resistance grows.