FactChecking RFK Jr.’s First Interview as HHS Secretary

In Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first interview as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, he made multiple incorrect or misleading statements, including about seed oils, an abortion drug and the notion that the U.S. has the “sickest population in the world.”

Kennedy’s remarks came in a Feb. 14 interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham. The day before, the Senate confirmed him in a 52 to 48 party-line vote. The lone Republican dissenter was Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who suffered from polio as a child and is still living with complications of the disease today. Although Kennedy insists that he isn’t opposed to vaccines, he has a long record of spreading false and misleading information about them.

Kennedy told Ingraham the U.S. “literally” has “the sickest population in the world.” That’s an exaggeration. While Americans generally have poorer health than people living in other wealthy nations, they still live longer and are healthier than much of the world.