What to Know
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is saying the quiet part out loud. Addressing the Heritage Foundation on February 9, the Secretary of Health and Human Services revealed that he loves working for President Donald Trump, and the reason is not exactly surprising. It is, however, concerning, and also seems like something that people might typically refrain from admitting.
During his speech, RFK Jr. said, “It is a joy to work for [Trump] because he lets me do stuff that I don’t think anybody else would.” Umm, yikes? And sure, it’s not hard to understand why he might appreciate being allowed to do whatever he wants. But on multiple occasions, people have raised concerns about RFK Jr. promoting medical misinformation and conspiracy theories, and exacerbating public mistrust in scientific institutions. He’s not beating the accusations with his recent comments. The fact that he admitted he doesn’t think anyone else would let him do what he’s doing is not exactly reassuring to people, either.
During his speech, RFK Jr. also said trusting experts is “not a thing.”
To be fair, what he said is pretty in line with how many people perceive RFK Jr. and the Trump administration as a whole. But that doesn’t make his comments any less alarming. The health secretary, who is known for his vaccine skepticism and controversial Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, essentially said experts should not be trusted for information.
BREAKING: Speaking at the right-wing Heritage Foundation, RFK Jr. brags that Trump lets him do things that no one else would let him do. This is an honest admission from RFK Jr. and it should scare you. pic.twitter.com/UySYcxH9Rx
— Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) (@MAGALieTracker) February 9, 2026
He claimed, “Trusting experts is not a feature of democracy, and it’s not a feature of science. It’s a feature of religion and totalitarianism, but not of democracy.” According to him, Trump is a great boss because he “will not tolerate overreach and doesn’t care about vested interests, doesn’t care about offending powerful people.”
He emphasized that authority figures lie.
“We were told by the last administration to trust the experts,” he said during the same speech. “That’s not a thing. It’s not a thing.” He later added, “My dad told me when I was a kid, ‘People in authority lie, and the government lies all the time.’ And it lied to us about the dietary guidelines for 50 years. It lies about everything.” Um, isn’t he part of the government though?
He then added that people should “support government,” so maybe he remembered his current job title. But he also urged people to embrace “fierce skepticism toward authority.” He said it’s a difficult time to be a parent because kids and parents are “assaulted” by content on social media and exposed to “an array of poison” at the grocery store checkout. According to him, “corporations and the government” have “taken away our souls” and made us “eternal consumers,” only to sell us things that are “bad for us.”
After decades of measles being eliminated in the U.S., it’s spreading again because of the reckless, irresponsible actions of RFK Jr.
— Mike Levin (@MikeLevin) February 10, 2026
He rolled back basic public health protections, and now even Dr. Oz is urging vaccination.
When leaders in the same administration contradict…
The event was meant to celebrate RFK Jr.’s first year as Health and Human Services secretary. During that year, medical expert called for him to step down. In September 2025, for example, multiple health groups and medical associations released a joint statement calling for his resignation due to his “repeated efforts to undermine science and public health.”
