Robert F. Kennedy’s approval rating is “not a place you want to be” a polling expert has said.
Speaking on CNN, the broadcaster’s chief data analyst Harry Enten reacted to new polling that showed the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s net approval has declined from -11 percentage points in March to -21 points in September. This, he said, was because the public “don’t like him on vaccines.”
Newsweek contacted HHS by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.
Why It Matters
Since becoming the HHS secretary, Kennedy has faced escalating criticism over his running of the agency, including from members of the Republican Party.
While the White House has signaled its support of Kennedy, with Trump calling him “a very good person” who “means very well,” further criticism might put pressure on Kennedy to resign, or on Trump to dismiss him.
What To Know
Speaking on CNN, Enten said that Kennedy’s net approval had dropped 10 points since March.
“The more RFK Jr. is implementing or trying to implicate his policies, the further down his net approval rating goes and at this particular point, 21 points underwater is not a place you want to be.”
Enten was referencing Thursday polling from Quinnipiac University which showed that 54 percent of voters disapprove of Kennedy’s handling of his job while 33 percent approve.
Enten added that the negative rating came in part because polling showed that only 37 percent of the American public trust Kennedy on vaccination information. “They do not like him on vaccines,” he said. However, he said people support his measures to restrict artificial food dyes.
It comes amid widespread concerns about Kennedy’s handling of the HHS. Kennedy recently canceled all federal funding for 22 mRNA vaccine development projects in the U.S., saying they “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.”
Meanwhile, HHS agency the Centers for Disease Control fired 600 employees in August and later in the month, the White House dismissed CDC Chief Dr. Susan Monarez and replaced her with Kennedy’s deputy Jim O’Neill, sparking a backlash from health officials and lawmakers.
In September, nine former officials at the CDC wrote an open letter in the New York Times, claiming that HHS leadership was “endangering” the health of Americans. In this letter, they called on Kennedy to resign. Amid this pressure, Kennedy testified before the Senate Finance Committee in September where he was grilled on his policy decisions.
What People Are Saying
Speaking to Newsweek, Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York said: “I don’t tend to put much stock into polling on cabinet officials. I am dubious on whether the public has well-formed opinions about those people and whether presidents look at their (un) popularity with much concern. It’s the policies that matter most.”
What Happens Next
RFK Jr.’s popularity will likely fluctuate as Trump’s second term continues. Whether it changes enough for Trump to withdraw his support remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens said on X Thursday she would introduce articles of impeachment against Kennedy because of “health care chaos.” It is unlikely to succeed given Republicans have a majority in the House and Senate.