Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s relationship with the White House has become “non-existent,” fueling speculation that he could be the next member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet to get the ax, according to a report.
Kennedy, the de facto face of the so-called Make America Healthy Again movement, has become a polarizing figure at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Rumors have been swirling for months that Trump has “had it” with Kennedy, according to Puck News, while the MAHA Action group is said to be “despondent over Kennedy’s diminished standing inside the White House,” the outlet reports, citing a source who works with the movement.
Part of the frustration reportedly stems from criticism that the health secretary has undermined longstanding vaccine policies, which have generated a slew of negative headlines, as well as carrying out “draconian cuts” to the department.
Several sources told the publication that Kennedy’s remaining time in office is limited. Some said that he could go after the midterms, while others said he could in the coming months.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told the outlet in April that Kennedy’s position with the president was “in good standing.”
In audio obtained by Puck from a June 15 MAHA Action event at Washington, D.C.’s swanky Ned’s Club, Oz appeared to again dispel rumors that Kennedy could be ousted.
He said that Kennedy had been to the Oval Office “countless times” and insisted that Trump is “embracing and supporting” the health secretary.
“The reason that we are where we are is because Secretary Kennedy was able to create a political movement which moved the needle and got everyone to pay attention,” Oz said. “That’s why Bobby Kennedy is here to stay.”
Kennedy’s wife, actor Cheryl Hines, also hit out at suggestions that her husband could be sacked.
“The best thing you can do when you hear a rumor is to let it go wither on the vine and not give it any oxygen,” Hines reportedly said in the audio clip. “That’s absolutely, utterly false. No truth to it.”
However, she also poked fun at Oz’s defense of her husband.
“I’ve heard the same rumors,” she said, laughing. “Mehmet, what are you up to?”
The Independent has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services and MAHA Action for comment.
Lawmakers have branded Kennedy “dangerous” and called for Trump to fire him. In April, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, said Kennedy should be “fired immediately” over his handling of the measles outbreak.
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Warnock also blasted Kennedy over his “draconian cuts” to health department and branded him “dangerous to the public.”
Kennedy slashed nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine development, fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and tried to change recommendations for childhood vaccinations.
He has also faced criticism from his own family, with his sister Kerry Kennedy claiming on Erin Burnett OutFront that her brother once released a “chomping” snake into a swimming pool filled with children.
Kerry Kennedy claimed that her brother has a “lack of judgment when it comes to the safety and care of children.”
