Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: podcast appearances and interviews

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine activist who has served as the 26th United States secretary of health and human services since 2025. A member of the Kennedy family, he is the son of Senator and US attorney general Robert F. Kennedy and related to U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy and US senator Ted Kennedy. Kennedy's career began as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. In the mid-1980s, he became involved with environmental protection efforts through nonprofits such as Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council. He also held an academic role as an adjunct professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law and founded the university's Environmental Litigation Clinic. In 1999, Kennedy established the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit environmental organization. Politically, he initially ran as a Democrat before launching an independent campaign in the 2024 presidential election, which he subsequently withdrew from to endorse Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. Since 2005, Kennedy has promoted vaccine misinformation and public health conspiracy theories, including claims about chemtrails, HIV/AIDS denialism, and debunked links between vaccines and autism. He is the founder and former chairman of Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine advocacy group known for disseminating COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Kennedy is an author of several books, including The Riverkeepers, Crimes Against Nature, The Real Anthony Fauci, and A Letter to Liberals. His appointment as secretary has been controversial amidst widespread criticism from scientific and medical communities.