Trump signaled he’s sticking with RFK Jr. even as Washington erupts over a hard-hitting Senate hearing. He told reporters he welcomes Kennedy’s “different” views and wants to hear them out, even with loud pushback from Democrats.
At a White House dinner with technology leaders, a reporter brought up Sen. Bill Cassidy and asked, “Mr. President, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, effectively, ‘We’re denying people vaccines.’ Do you have full confidence in what RFK Jr. is doing?” Trump replied that he “didn’t get to watch the hearings today,” but added, “He’s a very good person.”
“He means very well. And he’s got some little different ideas. I guarantee a lot of the people at this table like RFK Jr., and I do, but he’s got a different take, and we want to listen to all of those takes,” Trump said. “But I heard he did very well today.”
“It’s not your standard talk. I would say that, and that has to do with medical and vaccines,” he continued. “But if you look at what’s going on in the world with health and look at this country also with regard to health, I like the fact that he’s different.”
Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee tried to make Kennedy the issue. Sen. Ron Wyden accused him of putting children into “harm’s way” and pressed him as if careful debate itself were a danger. Wyden said, “This is about kids being pushed into harm’s way by reckless and repeated decisions to get scientists and doctors out of the way and allow conspiracy theories to dictate this country’s health policy.”
“I don’t see any evidence that you have any regrets about anything you’ve done or plans to change it. And my last comment is, I hope that you will tell the American people how many preventable child deaths are an acceptable sacrifice for enacting an agenda that I think is fundamentally cruel and defies common sense.”
Kennedy pushed back with numbers and a challenge. “Senator, you’ve sat in that chair how long? Twenty, 25 years, while the chronic disease of our children went up to 76%. And you said nothing.” He added, “You never asked the question of why it’s happening. Why is this happening? Today, for the first time in 20 years, we’ve learned that infant mortality has increased in our country. It’s not because I came in here. It’s because of what happened during the Biden administration that we’re going to end.”
Vice President JD Vance also defended Kennedy and didn’t mince words about the senators’ posturing. “You’re full of s—,” he said. In a post, Vance added, “When I see all these senators trying to lecture and ‘gotcha’ Bobby Kennedy today all I can think is: You all support off-label, untested, and irreversible hormonal ‘therapies’ for children, mutilating our kids and enriching big pharma,” ending with, “You’re full of s— and everyone knows it.” Kennedy replied, “Thank you @JDVance. You put your finger squarely on the preeminent problem.”
Outside the hearing, pressure groups tried to manufacture a scandal. Over 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed a letter calling for Kennedy to resign, and Sen. Bernie Sanders joined that chorus. The administration stayed the course. Trump said he likes that Kennedy challenges stale assumptions and keeps the focus on results for families, not the comfort of bureaucrats.
Trump’s stance matches his record of backing strong, results-first leadership and breaking through the noise. He is clear: debate is healthy, new thinking is welcome, and public health must serve parents and patients over special interests. That’s how you get better outcomes—and fast.
The left wants to shut down dissent and smear a reform effort before it takes hold. Conservatives should do the opposite: press for transparency, insist on data, and demand accountability. With Trump backing RFK Jr.’s push to rethink a broken system, it’s time to double down on reform and keep the momentum going—let’s finish the job and put American families first.
