U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.made a series of bizarre comments about American kids health while attending a bill signing in Texas for new health legislation. Kennedy who has been spearheading the elimination of HIV and AIDS related programs; believes vaccines cause autism and that the disorder destroys children and families; and did nothing to stop the end of a federal crisis hotline for LGBTQ+ youth has positioned himself as a staunch defender of childrens health. Related Judge rules in favor of LGBTQ+ health researchers after HHS revoked funding for radical programs His nonsensical comments at the bill signing, however, have reaffirmed for many that he seems to manufacture his beliefs out of thin air. I know what a healthy child is supposed to look like. Im looking at kids as I walk through the airports today, as I walk down the street, and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, with inflammation, he rambled. You can tell from their faces, from their body movements, and from their lack of social connection, and I know that thats not how our children are supposed to look. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Kennedy a conspiracy theorist who has no background in medical science has been a prominent voice in the anti-vaccine movement, which is based on pseudoscience and uses misinformation to spread the belief that vaccines dont prevent disease. He formerly chaired the Childrens Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization that claims that vaccines cause autism, ADHD, food allergies, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.The Secretary has been ruthlessly mocked for claiming to know if a child is healthy by looking at them as they walk by and for using the nonsensical term, mitochondrial challenges. Many also expressed fear for the nations future with someone like him leading our health strategy.The man looks like a 90 year old baseball glove, what does he know about visual indicators https://t.co/quudiPuP6c Sam Cornale (@samcornale) August 27, 2025I can't imagine why kids are repelled by the leathery guy who looks them up and down in airports for "mitochondrial challenges." https://t.co/nOTGIGMgQ4 Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd on blu sky) (@rothschildmd) August 27, 2025Horrors abound but a guy who will say overburdened with mitochondrial challenges and somehow be in charge of the nations public health infrastructure is TOUGH TO BEAT Dave Levitan (@davelevitan.bsky.social) 2025-08-28T01:02:59.676ZIf ever there was somebody who was clearly overburdened by mitochondrial challenges its RFK Jr Jon Cryer (@mrjoncryer.bsky.social) 2025-08-28T13:54:36.741ZSo he went from "Nobody should be taking health advice from me" to "I can see pediatric mitochondrial challenges with my eyes" Chucky Dub (@chucky-dub.bsky.social) 2025-08-28T01:40:08.396ZSpeaking as a pediatrician, this is complete quackery. If you ever have a medical provider tell you they can spot inflammation or so-called mitochondrial challenges from across the room, please find a different provider before your child is potentially harmed by unnecessary Zev Waldman MD (@ZevWaldman) August 28, 2025Remind me again how much medical training he's had. Russ Hjelm (@russ_hjelm) August 27, 2025Medicine and public health have added three decades to the human lifespan. Vaccination alone produced 40% of the reduction in child deaths. And now a disturbed and unqualified man driven by crackpot theories is destroying the foundations of this work, including CDC. https://t.co/hZJUnPdSjx Atul Gawande (@Atul_Gawande) August 28, 2025Youre not a doctor. You didnt even take a science course in college. Otherwise youd probably understand that we dont base our national public health policies on anecdotal observations made by lunatics about children at the airport. https://t.co/hMkfhOO1ul Andrew#IAmTheResistanceWortman (@AmoneyResists) August 27, 2025Scientist here. Mitochondria do not present challenges to faces, movements, or social connections. Maybe those kids just dont like you because youre staring at them like a creep who wants to give them measles. https://t.co/S8MGKV834V Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) August 28, 2025The non-doctor is diagnosing children from 30 meters distance with fake diseases and invented psychological conditions that have no basis in reality. He does get credit for cramming a remarkable amount of stupidity into the fewest amount of words possible. https://t.co/Bta9ipksaQ John Jackson (@hissgoescobra) August 27, 2025RFK Jr seems to spend a lot of time staring at the children of strangers, who NO SURPRISE dont want his social connection https://t.co/hEHmhDBqlp Heather Bucha Whaley (@HeatherWhaley) August 27, 2025Love to have a Washington DC politician judge my kids based on how they look in an airport. Great way to set policy. https://t.co/CfEViY7YVn Evan (@evan7257) August 28, 2025insane that a person who looks and sounds like he's been microwaved on high is judging people's health from glancing them at the airport. https://t.co/K3VtV984tJ ds00za (@ds00za) August 28, 2025Your unhinged uncle who tells you over dinner all about how he diagnosed various children he doesnt know just by observing them in an airport except in this case hes somehow in charge of national health. https://t.co/SXeg09Vc7x Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) August 28, 2025 Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.