US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is to deliver a keynote address at an anti-vaccine conference in Washington, DC, hosted by Children's Health Defense (CHD), the organisation he formerly led. He will share the platform with Andrew Wakefield, the discredited former doctor stripped of his medical licence over a fraudulent, retracted study that falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism. The appearance marks a notable step towards Kennedy openly embracing anti-vaccine views he has previously downplayed, particularly since claiming during his confirmation hearing to be "pro-vaccine".

The conference, taking place on 17 September with an opening reception the night before, is billed by CHD as exploring the "health freedom movement" and is largely sold out, with in-person tickets priced at $250. Other speakers include Republican senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul, MAHA Institute president Mark Gorton, and Epoch Times editor Jan Jekielek. Kennedy formally cut ties with CHD when he took up his health secretary role in early 2025, but his decision to headline this event follows reports that President Trump has pressed him to more aggressively promote the false claim that vaccines cause autism.