20 alleged RFK Jr. quotes we've investigated

The Health and Human Services secretary has repeatedly shared conspiracy theories, but has also been the target of misinformation. Published Aug. 2, 2026 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary in February 2025. Since then, Snopes has verified several authentic quotes attributed to him, ranging from Kennedy's unproven claim that children circumcised early "have double the rate of autism" to his false assertion that the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella contains "a lot of aborted fetus debris." We also looked into quotes attributed to him before he took office, such as when he claimed in 2023 that COVID-19 was "ethnically targeted" and the two occasions he suggested vaccines caused the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic Alongside his "Make America Healthy Again" initiative, Kennedy has repeatedly pushed anti-vaccine rhetoric and has promoted numerous autism-related rumors — though officially he has told people not to take his medical advice. We've also debunked several quotes falsely attributed to the HHS secretary, including him allegedly telling TV personality Oprah Winfrey she was "overeating" and that the early 2025 stock market crash could have been reversed if investors drank cod liver oil. Below are 20 quotes we've addressed that have been correctly or incorrectly attributed to Kennedy. Sources 'Bad Diets, Too Many Meds, No Exercise: A Look inside the Latest "Make America Healthy Again" Report'. AP News, 15 Aug. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/maha-report-children-health-food-rfk-f0c624d30da939fc9cca09687f8a4273.Christensen, Laerke. 'Did RFK Jr. Claim Children Circumcised Early Had "double" Rate of Autism Tied to Tylenol Use?' Snopes, 29 May 2026, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rfk-jr-autism-circumcision-tylenol/.Christensen, Laerke. 'See Moment Where RFK Jr. Said He Doesn't Think People Should Take His Medical Advice for Yourself'. Snopes, 16 May 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rfk-jr-medical-advice/.Clarke, Amelia. 'No, RFK Jr. Didn't Claim Cod Liver Oil Could Reverse Stock Market Crash'. Snopes, 9 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rfk-jr-cod-liver-oil-stock-market/.New item…Esposito, Joey. 'Don't Believe Purported RFK Jr. Post about Oprah Winfrey "Overeating"'. Snopes, 24 Jan. 2026, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rfk-oprah-overeating-post/.New item…Ibrahim, Nur. 'RFK Jr. Proposed Sending People with Drug Problems to "Wellness Farms"?' Snopes, 21 Nov. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rfk-wellness-farms/.Rascouët-Paz, Anna. 'MMR Vaccine Doesn't Contain "a Lot of Aborted Fetus Debris," Contrary to RFK Jr.'s Assertion'. Snopes, 12 May 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/mmr-vaccine-aborted-fetus-debris/.Rascouët-Paz, Anna. 'Yes, RFK Jr. Said Autistic Children Will Never Pay Taxes, Hold a Job, Play Baseball or Write a Poem'. Snopes, 18 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/quote-rfk-jr-autistic-kids/.Wazer, Caroline. 'RFK Jr. Has Suggested Vaccines Caused 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic at Least Twice'. Snopes, 1 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/04/01/rfk-vaccine-spanish-flu-pandemic/.Wrona, Aleksandra. 'Did RFK Jr. Say COVID-19 Was Targeted to "spare" Jewish, Chinese People? We Investigated'. Snopes, 14 June 2026, https://www.snopes.com//news/2026/06/14/rfk-covid-19-jews-chinese-quote/. By Taija PerryCook Taija PerryCook is a Seattle-based journalist who previously worked for the PNW news site Crosscut and the Jordan Times in Amman. Article Tags