RFK Jr. says he won't run for president in 2028

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is caught betwixt his Make America Healthy Again supporters who privation him to bash much to beforehand their priorities, including curtailing vaccines, and a White House trying to combat President Trump's unpopularity.

Protesters' chants could beryllium heard from wrong the Cleveland City Club, wherever Kennedy was speaking to a bipartisan radical of citizens arsenic portion of his caller circuit of bluish Ohio. His calls for parents to person much "choice" connected vaccinating their children was met with applause from fractional of the room. The different fractional released exasperated sighs and gasps.

His question docket is astir to get busier: Kennedy is expected to stump for GOP lawmakers, traveling to states with competitory races successful the upcoming midterm elections.

The extremity of Kennedy's run appearances is to enactment up enactment for Republican candidates. But his targeted beingness underscores the progressively aggravated propulsion and propulsion Kennedy faces arsenic helium works to support enduring governmental viability with GOP voters — particularly MAHA supporters.

His situation is analyzable by a widening schism betwixt the White House and Kennedy's anti-vaccine crusade. Some MAHA adherents consciousness betrayed by the Trump administration, which they accidental is thwarting the movement's docket by not doing much to bounds pesticides, halt entree to COVID shots, oregon analyse conspiracy theories astir airplane contrails poisoning the skies.

Meanwhile, immoderate successful the MAHA campy anticipation Kennedy volition denote his ain tally for the White House successful 2028.

But Kennedy says helium has nary specified aspirations. Asked by KFF Health News connected May 7 whether helium sees a way to tally for the presidency again arsenic a Republican, helium replied firmly: "No, I'm not going to run."

Changing his presumption astir moving would enactment Kennedy connected a collision people with President Trump, who's reportedly weighing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance arsenic imaginable successors. (President Trump, too, has mused astir running again successful 2028, though the 22nd Amendment would prohibit it.) A Kennedy candidacy could besides sap overmuch of the Trump administration's enactment connected different MAHA causes, due to the fact that the caput would apt permission his relation astatine the Department of Health and Human Services.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a quality league successful Washington, D.C., connected April 16, 2025. Alex Wong / Getty Images

"If helium isn't secretary, past MAHA's power volition severely diminish," said David Mansdoerfer, who served arsenic lawman adjunct caput for wellness astatine HHS successful the archetypal Trump administration.

"Running would beryllium perfectly logical for Bobby," said Christopher Bosso, a nationalist argumentation and governmental subject prof astatine Northeastern University. "Kennedy is being a bully soldier, but to what extent? That is going to beryllium a question."

"A sedate misstep"

Recent Trump medication actions person riled up MAHA supporters. The president successful April nominated Erica Schwartz, a doc and vaccine supporter, to pb the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy fired Susan Monarez, the agency's erstwhile director; she testified she was ousted for not preapproving vaccine recommendations.

Schwartz's information and White House efforts to displacement Kennedy's absorption distant from vaccines basal successful stark opposition with 2024, erstwhile Mr. Trump pledged to fto Kennedy "go wild" connected health.

In an interview, Kennedy said "I deliberation I have" gone chaotic connected health. He changeable down claims that the White House has constricted his work.

"President Trump has fto maine bash much than immoderate HHS caput successful history," Kennedy said.

Kennedy has said helium supports Schwartz, though helium told lawmakers past period that helium did not sermon her information with Mr. Trump. MAHA adherents person criticized her backing of covid vaccines, holding it up arsenic grounds that the White House is restricting the wellness secretary.

"Trump's prime to caput the CDC, Erica Schwartz, would apt beryllium a disaster," Aaron Siri, a lawyer and Kennedy ally, said connected X, citing her enactment supporting the covid vaccine rollout.

Mr. Trump besides withdrew the nomination of wellness influencer Casey Means, different Kennedy ally, for U.S. surgeon general. In May, the president nominated Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and erstwhile Fox News contributor. MAHA adherents person panned the selection, which reflects a much mainstream and accepted aesculapian attack to the position. Means had faced pushback from immoderate Republican senators for questioning contraception methods and refusing to cull the debunked nexus betwixt vaccines and autism.

"DOGE the Surgeon General!!! We privation aesculapian freedom!!!! If not Casey - we instrumentality nary one!" Vani Hari, a MAHA influencer, said May 1 connected X.

Taken together, these actions endanger to weaken MAHA enactment for GOP candidates. But galore Republicans successful competitory races are already distancing themselves from the grassroots, vaccine-skeptical "medical freedom" question led by Kennedy.

Many MAHA supporters besides consciousness fto down by Trump medication directives that rolled backmost environmental regulations and promoted pesticides. Some present spot a Kennedy presidency arsenic captious to attaining their argumentation goals.

Stephanie Weidle "100%" wants to spot Kennedy tally again. The 34-year-old Washington, D.C., nonmigratory was extracurricular the Supreme Court past period during a rally to reason protections for the weed-killing chemic glyphosate.

A reliable Republican voter, Weidle described the administration's actions arsenic disappointing. She wants to spot Kennedy spell further connected examining the puerility vaccine docket and limiting chemic usage connected crops.

"His hands person been tied," Weidle said of Kennedy. She believes the White House has ordered him to backmost down from those arguable issues. "Republicans person made a sedate misstep successful not starring with MAHA."

Vaccines are a flashpoint

In the midst of these dynamics, Kennedy is attempting to thread the needle betwixt the White House, which wants him to backmost distant from attacking vaccines, and MAHA supporters who privation him to bash more. He has sought to appease some sides, praising Saphier arsenic the surgeon wide prime and describing her connected X arsenic a "long-time warrior for the MAHA movement."

He's besides tempered his nationalist absorption connected vaccines. His podcast, which helium said would "confront the lies" that pb to illness, has veered distant from the taxable and centered alternatively connected nutrient and nutrition.

During his caller legislature hearings, helium besides focused connected initiatives that canvass good with voters. Appearing earlier the House Ways and Means Committee, Kennedy offered an opening connection focused connected healthcare affordability and cause prices, issues helium had shied distant from during his archetypal fewer months connected the job.

While helium mentioned his redesign of nutritional guidelines and pressing manufacture to cease its usage of definite nutrient dyes, helium avoided much arguable topics that underscored his archetypal fewer months successful office, including his effort to upend the puerility vaccine docket and efforts to research causes of autism.

Despite his pivot to much fashionable subjects, Kennedy's gully weakens beyond MAHA circles. A March straw canvass of much than 1,600 attendees astatine the yearly Conservative Political Action Conference recovered astir zero enactment for him arsenic a statesmanlike campaigner erstwhile participants were asked who they would ballot for if the predetermination were held today.

"He has a constituency that is precise overmuch attached to MAHA that whitethorn not ballot successful the Republican primaries oregon successful a wide election," said Robert Blendon, prof emeritus of wellness argumentation and governmental investigation astatine Harvard University.

Kennedy ran for president successful the 2024 contention arsenic a Democrat, and past arsenic an independent, earlier halting his run successful August 2024 and throwing his enactment down Mr. Trump.

Some of the president's advisers recognition Kennedy's MAHA voters with tipping the scales conscionable capable to assistance Mr. Trump unafraid his 2024 predetermination win. About a 3rd of U.S. voters present place arsenic MAHA supporters, according to a March canvass by Politico, and enactment is highest among Republicans who besides backmost Trump's Make America Great Again governmental movement.

Vaccine argumentation is galvanizing voters connected some sides. Eighty-one percent of voters said vaccine policy, including decisions astir what vaccines are recommended for children, volition person an interaction connected their determination to ballot successful the 2026 midterm elections, according to a KFF Health News poll conducted successful April. Voters said they spot Democrats much than Republicans connected vaccine argumentation and different wellness issues, according to the poll.

But healthcare — particularly its costs — looms larger arsenic an issue. Sixty-four percent of voters said that they are precise oregon somewhat disquieted astir healthcare, including the outgo of wellness security and out-of-pocket costs for things similar bureau visits and medicine drugs, and 88% said specified costs volition person an interaction connected their vote.

Many of the MAHA faithful question whether their governmental musculus truly matters.

Republicans look little convinced the constituency volition marque oregon interruption the midterm predetermination results.

Republicans successful Congress and the medication "have decided not to tally connected MAHA for the midterms," Robert Malone, a idiosyncratic and Kennedy state who stepped distant successful March from his presumption connected the national Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices, said April 16 connected X.

KFF Health News is simply a nationalist newsroom that produces in-depth journalism astir wellness issues and is 1 of the halfway operating programs astatine KFF — the autarkic root for wellness argumentation research, polling, and journalism.

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• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.