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By Andrew Stanton
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is launching a new podcast to “name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to public health.”
Why It Matters
HHS officials believe Kennedy will be the first sitting Cabinet member to host a podcast. He has sought to reshape the federal government's approach to public health since joining the Trump administration last year. He has faced some criticism, particularly over vaccine policy changes blocked by a federal judge last month. But some of his policies around promoting healthier diets have received more support.
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What to Know
An HHS spokesperson confirmed the podcast, which will launch next week and drop biweekly, to Newsweek.
"The Secretary Kennedy Podcast will provide a direct platform to engage with the public on the health issues that matter most to American families, from chronic disease and nutrition to food quality and health care costs, while bringing radical transparency to the conversations shaping those issues," the statement said.
The podcast is set to launch next week and will be titled The Secretary Kennedy Podcast, the Associated Press reported. Kennedy said the podcast will be a new way to expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick.
He said in the clip posted to X that Americans have been told “for decades” that they should “trust the system,” but that children are “sicker” and chronic diseases are “exploding.”
“I’m going to have fearless conversations with critical thinkers including independent doctors, respected scientists and leaders in medical innovation and research. I’m going to ask the questions and lift the taboos and expose the hypocrisy and the conflicts and the corruption,” he said.
“We’re going to name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to public health.”
He described the podcast as “part of a new era of radical transparency in government."
Liam Nahill, HHS digital director, described the podcast as “part of our larger strategy to bring the Make America Healthy Again message to as wide an audience as we can.”
Kennedy hosted a podcast prior to joining the Trump administration last year. The new podcast has been in works since early in Trump's second term.
Tyler Burger, HHS digital communications manager and the producer of the new podcast, said the agency is bringing podcasting into the government as an official form and arm of our messaging. The set has the capacity for up to four people to sit together and was made mostly of items the agency already had, he said.
What People Are Saying
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon told the Associated Press: "Americans are united on the need to urgently address chronic disease, improve nutrition, strengthen food quality, and lower health costs. The Secretary Kennedy Podcast will cover all those issues.”
Commentator Micah Erfan responded to Kennedy’s video on X: “Republicans understand that modern campaigning is just non stop content creation. Democrats desperately need to catch up.”
Benjamin Mazer, a physician and writer, responded to the video: “I am not morally and spiritually sick as Secretary Kennedy claims. I am proud that I don't lie and mislead the public with ease like he does. But I can't speak for his spiritual health.”
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 4/8/26, 3:32 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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