Politics

Trump Banks on RFK Jr. for Midterms, but Republicans Aren’t Sold

By Jake Beardslee · September 16, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies about the health care agenda for the Trump administration in front of the Senate Committee on Finance in Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2025. Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

President Donald Trump is staking Republican midterm hopes on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but many GOP lawmakers are uneasy with the strategy. Trump believes Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement can energize voters more than concerns over his controversial vaccine positions, according to Politico.

Republican senators, however, are signaling doubts. “We’ve got to sort that out,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who faces a competitive primary. “Polling shows Americans believe in vaccines.” Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has proposed changes to childhood vaccination schedules that worry public health experts and many in his party.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai stated the president has “full confidence” in Kennedy, but other high-profile Republicans declined to defend the secretary. “That’s really not my priority,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is fending off a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told Politico she was “alarmed” when Kennedy removed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez last month. She said she does not view his role “from a political perspective,” but she supports a Senate hearing where Cassidy has called Monarez to testify—a move that could prove politically risky if Trump withholds his endorsement.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) suggested that voters’ main concerns may lie elsewhere. “Going into the midterms probably the biggest issue is going to come back to the economy, inflation, the price of gas,” he told Politico.

Despite the controversy, Kennedy remains personally popular. A MAGA-aligned poll shows him with a 42% approval rating—higher than Trump or any other cabinet member. His initiatives such as healthier school lunches and banning certain food chemicals poll well. Yet public awareness of his vaccination changes remains limited; 60% of parents said this summer they had heard “little to nothing” about those policies.

The clash between Trump’s political calculus and Republican apprehension over Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism reflects a tension that could shape both party strategy and public health policy heading into the 2026 midterms.