Clinton slams RFK Jr. and Trump health rhetoric, says it costs lives
Former secretary of state accuses administration of undermining public health with anti-science messaging
Hillary Clinton on Wednesday criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and accused the Trump administration of turning the clock back on public health. Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Clinton referenced a Monday press conference in which the secretary of Health and Human Services and President Donald Trump offered a series of unproven statements about Tylenol, childhood vaccines and autism.
“I mean, this is so crazy, it’s so wrongheaded, it’s so shortsighted. And it’s going to cause deaths,” she said during the appearance. “These guys want to literally turn the clock back.”
Clinton said the statements would lead to confusion and cautioned that too many Americans were listening to what she framed as a destructive anti-science tirade coming from the administration. “When your president says something, when a Kennedy, who’s the secretary of HHS, says something, what are you supposed to believe?” she asked. “You know, people are confused. And too many Americans are listening to this, you know, very destructive anti-science tirade that we’re hearing from this administration. And it’s going to cost lives. It already is costing lives.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Clinton, the former secretary of state and Trump’s 2016 Democratic opponent for president, framed the remarks as part of a broader pattern she said could undermine public health efforts and sow confusion about essential health guidance. The episode sits at the intersection of a broader political debate over public-health messaging and trust in scientific consensus, a debate that has intensified as vaccines and other health measures remain central to policy discussions.
Kennedy Jr., a prominent figure in public debates over vaccines and science advocacy, has repeatedly drawn attention for critiquing government messaging on health policies. Clinton’s remarks tie his public profile to a larger critique of anti-science rhetoric she said jeopardizes lives by eroding confidence in established health guidance and evidence-based policy.
The episode underscores the ongoing partisan contest over how to communicate health information to the public, particularly in an era when misinformation about medical interventions can spread rapidly across media and social networks. While officials continue to emphasize the importance of vaccines and other preventive measures, critics argue that political rhetoric around these issues can fuel hesitancy and undermine public health initiatives.