US Health Secretary RFK Jr. to headline anti-vaccine conference alongside Andrew Wakefield
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to headline a September 17 conference hosted by Children's Health Defense, where prominent anti-vaccine figure Andrew Wakefield is also expected to appear.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been announced as the headline speaker at a conference held by Children's Health Defense (CHD), the anti-vaccine organization he once led. The event's main sessions take place on September 17, preceded by an opening reception the evening before. Organizers describe the gathering as a step toward a "more perfect future," with discussions centered on the risks and opportunities facing what is termed the "health freedom movement."
Lineup and ticket prices
Other confirmed speakers include Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a longtime vaccine critic, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Mark Gorton, president of the Kennedy-linked MAHA Institute, Jan Jekielek, a senior editor at Epoch Times, and several CHD leaders, including CEO Mary Holland. Andrew Wakefield, one of the most recognizable figures in the anti-vaccine movement, is also slated to take part.
In-person tickets priced at $250 have already sold out. Limited seating passes for $125 remain available, along with $100 livestream access.
A public reversal
Kennedy formally cut ties with CHD in early 2025 when he took on his role as health secretary. Since then, he has repeatedly sought to distance himself from the organization and from his own history of anti-vaccine advocacy, insisting during his confirmation hearing that he is "pro-vaccine" despite a long documented record as an anti-vaccine activist.
His decision to headline this event is being read as a clear signal that he is now openly aligning himself with that agenda again. The move comes shortly after reports that President Donald Trump had pushed Kennedy to more forcefully promote the unfounded claim that vaccines cause autism.
