RFK Jr. rules out 2028 presidential bid, vows ‘loyalty’ to Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday addressed rumors he would seek higher office, pledging his singular focus is serving as U.S. health secretary in a public statement aimed at tamping down attacks from some conservatives who have questioned his devotion to the president.

“Let me be clear: I am not running for president in 2028,” Kennedy wrote on social media. “My loyalty is to President Trump and the mission we’ve started.”

Kennedy, who ran last year before throwing his support to Trump in exchange for a Cabinet position, has drawn the ire of some MAGA faithful over installing deputies they deem insufficiently conservative. Some MAGA activists also took note of recent actions by Kennedy allies, such as an organizing call last month by Kennedy’s super PAC, that stoked speculation he was weighing another bid for the presidency.

Kennedy has countered that his work leading the Department of Health and Human Services – a $2 trillion agency responsible for food safety, vaccine approvals and a slew of other programs affecting Americans – reflects the culmination of a lifelong goal to reduce chronic disease and childhood illnesses through his own “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. The White House also has defended Kennedy, saying that his work is delivering on Trump’s campaign promises.

But vocal allies of the president have continued to question whether the scion of a preeminent Democratic political dynasty is truly committed to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, which encompasses a slew of environmental and industry policies that Kennedy previously opposed. Laura Loomer, an influential Trump adviser and MAGA activist who has positioned herself as an arbiter of loyalty to the president, this week amplified her attacks on Kennedy and the past political positions held by some of his allies.

Among Loomer’s targets: Stefanie Spear, a longtime liberal and environmental activist who is serving as one of Kennedy’s top deputies at the Department of Health and Human Services; Vinay Prasad, a senior official at the Food and Drug Administration who was briefly ousted amid pressure from Loomer but has returned to work; and Casey Means, who has been nominated to serve as U.S. surgeon general but has faced questions about her experience and personal politics.

That tension erupted into public view Friday as Kennedy and his allies slammed their critics online, accusing industry groups opposed to Kennedy’s agenda of attempting to sow discord.

“It’s simple thermodynamics that there will be a pushback from the swamp as disruptive change happens,” Calley Means, a White House adviser and the brother of Casey Means, posted on social media Friday. “And as pharma lobbyists have made abundantly clear, their strategy is to divide MAHA and MAGA.”

Tensions between MAHA and MAGA aren’t new. Before Kennedy dropped out and endorsed Trump, the president had been critical of Kennedy’s environmental positions, calling him “the most radical left candidate.” Kennedy had tried to convince Republican and Independent voters that Trump was a continuation of Washington’s status quo, arguing that Trump would further contribute to the debt, get the country into wars and cause more division.

But since being installed as health secretary with GOP support, the loudest criticism of Kennedy’s initiatives have come from Democrats, public health leaders and health care organizations alarmed by moves to, for example, reexamine long-settled questions about vaccine safety. Other proposals, such as shifting Americans’ diets away from ultra-processed food and eliminating pesticides, have faced resistance from the food and agriculture industries – pursuing change that Kennedy’s proponents say has made him a target of moneyed interests.

Kennedy on Friday defended Spear, one of his top deputies, in his announcement, writing that “attacks on my staff … are proof we’re over the target.”

An HHS spokesman declined to comment on Kennedy’s announcement. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the announcement and potential White House frustrations with Kennedy.

“The story that Secretary Kennedy was running for president was a made up story,” Tony Lyons, a leader of the MAHA Action PAC that organized last month’s supporter call, wrote in a text message. “There’s no truth to it whatsoever.”