HHS Secretary Kennedy Says He Will Not Run for President in 2028

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he will not run for president in 2028. Kennedy made the statement in response to a question from KFF Health News on May 7. " Kennedy is navigating demands from Make America Healthy Again supporters who view him as central to advancing their priorities, including greater parental choice on childhood vaccinations and limits on certain pesticides.

At a recent event at the Cleveland City Club, his remarks calling for more parental choice on vaccines drew applause from half the audience and sighs from the other half. Protesters' chants were audible from inside the venue. His travel schedule will include campaign appearances for Republican lawmakers in states with competitive midterm races.

The goal is to support GOP candidates. These appearances highlight the competing pressures Kennedy faces in maintaining support among Republican voters and MAHA adherents. A widening difference has emerged between the White House and some MAHA priorities.

The Trump administration nominated Erica Schwartz, a doctor who has supported vaccines, to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy had previously removed the agency's prior director, Susan Monarez, who said she was ousted for not preapproving vaccine recommendations. The administration also withdrew the nomination of wellness influencer Casey Means for U.S.

surgeon general and instead nominated Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor. Kennedy has said he supports the selection of Saphier and described her as a "long-time warrior for the MAHA movement" on X. Some MAHA supporters have criticized both choices as insufficiently aligned with their goals.

Kennedy has adjusted his public emphasis. His podcast, which he once said would confront causes of illness, has shifted focus to food and nutrition. During a recent appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee, he highlighted healthcare affordability, drug prices, redesigned nutritional guidelines and efforts to remove certain food dyes.

He did not address changes to the childhood vaccine schedule or autism research in that statement. A March straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference found nearly zero support for Kennedy as a presidential candidate. Robert Blendon, professor emeritus of health policy and political analysis at Harvard University, said Kennedy has a constituency attached to MAHA that may not participate in Republican primaries or general elections.

Kennedy ran for president in 2024 as a Democrat and then as an independent before ending his campaign in August 2024 and endorsing President Trump. About one-third of U.S. voters identify as MAHA supporters according to a March poll by Politico, with strongest backing among those who also support Trump's Make America Great Again movement.

" — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

, said she wants Kennedy to examine the childhood vaccine schedule more closely and limit chemical use on crops. She described the administration's actions as disappointing and said she believes Kennedy's hands have been tied. David Mansdoerfer, who served as deputy assistant secretary for health at HHS during the first Trump administration, said that if Kennedy is not secretary then MAHA's influence will severely diminish.

Christopher Bosso, a public policy and political science professor at Northeastern University, said running for president would be logical for Kennedy but that he is currently acting as a good soldier. Kennedy told an interviewer that he believes he has gone wild on health issues and that President Trump has let him do more than any HHS secretary in history.

He said he did not discuss the nomination of Erica Schwartz with the president.

Vaccine policy remains a point of division among voters, with 81 percent saying it influences their views.