Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr is embarrassing, even by the rock-bottom standards of the Trump administration. Earlier this week, Kennedy delivered an excruciatingly terrible performance at a Senate hearing in which both Republican and Democratic senators casually picked apart his insane arguments.
Kennedy’s response? He turned purple, raved and ranted, and practically frothed at the mouth. It was a humiliating performance and one that doubtless had Trump officials with their heads in their hands. As for Donald Trump himself? Well, he knows a weirdo when he sees one.
Now, in an indication that Kennedy may be about to get the old heave-ho, Trump has come out strongly for vaccination programs. When asked about Florida eliminating vaccine requirements, for once, Trump didn’t mince his words:
Trump on Florida eliminating vaccine requirements: "It's a tough stance. You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They're not controversial at all and I think those vaccines should be used. Otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other… pic.twitter.com/os6u5olhC0
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) September 5, 2025
“You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all and I think those vaccines should be used. Otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people…I think people should take it.”
Kennedy trashes one of Trump’s proudest moments
Trump has long been frustrated by the anti-vaxxer arguments from within MAGA, looking frustrated in 2021 when he touted the vaccine as a “medical miracle” and encouraged supporters to get it, then received boos from the crowd.
After all, one of the few genuine achievements of his first term was Operation Warp Speed – fast-tracking the COVID vaccine development. Sure, his involvement was limited to authorizing funding and private-public partnerships, but that’s not nothing.
All of which means it must annoy him that he can’t tout his helping save millions of lives with the COVID vaccine as one of his finest moments as president. Hearing Kennedy ramble about ‘his’ vaccine killing more people than COVID? Not going to go down well!
On top of that, Kennedy has long outlived his usefulness to Trump. The whole reason he was appointed as Secretary of Health was as a quid pro quo for dropping his rival presidential campaign and endorsing Trump, thus delivering him millions of very stupid voters. But that’s in the past, and there’s nothing Kennedy can do for him right now.
I’m betting Kennedy’s days are numbered. Being crazy and stupid is par for the course for the Trump administration. But actively embarrassing? That makes him a liability, and one that Trump can easily discard without looking weak.
