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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posts endorsement of measles MMR vaccine on X
Health and Human Services secretary, and vaccine skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports measles vaccine after visiting West Texas.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, said in an interview Tuesday that he encourages people to get vaccinated against measles after an outbreak killed two children in Texas – the first fatalities in the U.S. in a decade from one of the world’s most highly contagious diseases.
“We encourage people to get the measles vaccine,” Kennedy told CBS News while promoting the Trump administration’s agenda in Arizona. While Kennedy had previously said in a post on X that the MMR vaccine was “the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles,” the Trump Cabinet secretary hadn’t categorically encouraged people to get the vaccine.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy wrote in a Sunday post on the social media platform X. That post was met with social media backlash from anti-vaxxers, though public opinion flipped as social media users reacted to his new support for the vaccine.
“This is so disappointing.. Who has you compromised?!” one user wrote. “SELL-OUT,” another X user shared.
But infectious disease clinician-scientist Dr. Neil Stone welcomed Kennedy’s comments: “Words I never thought I would hear Robert F Kennedy Jr say,” he wrote, “He’s absolutely 100% correct, and I’m relieved to hear him say it.” Still, many in the pro-vaccine community long-ago wrote off Kennedy and this shift is unlikely to win him much favor. “RFK is too little too late,” one person tweeted. “Two kids have already died.”
Kennedy has previously linked the MMR vaccine to autism. But during the CBS interview, his first with a TV network since becoming HHS secretary in mid-February, Kennedy said that he was all for the vaccine.
“My position is people should get the vaccine,” Kennedy told the network’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jon LaPook. “But that the government should not be mandating this. What I’m gonna do is make sure that we have good science so that people can make an informed choice.”
The CDC makes clear on its measles vaccination page that there is no link between the measles vaccine and autism, and that it’s a recommendation. Time will tell whether his “MAHA” supporters stick by him, especially whether he further strays from the agenda he’s laid out to indeed make America healthy again.
Here’s what to know.
What is the MMR vaccine?
The best way to protect against measles is to get two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR vaccine) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For children, the agency recommends vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV), which also protects against chickenpox.
What is the latest on the measles outbreak?
Two children have died in Texas amid the ongoing outbreak of the highly infectious disease, state officials announced. Both children were unvaccinated, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the first death was the first fatality from measles in the U.S. since 2015.
As of April 3, a total of 607 confirmed measles cases were reported by 21 states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
There have been six outbreaks (defined as three or more related cases) reported in 2025. For comparison, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024.
In 2000, the U.S. eliminated measles, meaning there was no spread within the country, only from when someone contracted measles abroad and returned. With immunization rates above 95%, however, outbreaks are less likely to happen.
What has RFK said about the measles outbreak?
Kennedy, the nation’s top health official, asked parents in an opinion piece published last month on Fox News Digital to consider measles vaccinations for their children – though not outright suggesting them – as the once-eradicated disease spread through Texas and other states.
Referring to the deadly outbreak as a “call to action,” Kennedy wrote that parents should consult with physicians about the MMR vaccine, which also covers mumps and rubella.
“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” Kennedy wrote. “Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
After the first measles fatality in February, Kennedy said the latest outbreak is not out of the ordinary.
“Incidentally, there have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country,” he said at the time. “Last year, there were 16. So it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.” An outbreak is defined as three or cases in a given health facility or district, according to the National Institutes of Health. In the last decade, cases per year have ranged from as low as 86 in 2016 to as high as 1,274 in 2019.
Now that the disease has spread widely, Kennedy is changing his tune – frustrating both his supporters and detractors in the process for seeming to at once go too far in favor of the MMR vaccine and not far enough.
Contributing: Eric Lagatta
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
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