It was a Senate hearing unlike most others: charged, combative, and exposing the deep fissures not just between the parties, but within Republican ranks themselves. On Thursday, September 4, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a barrage of criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, defending his controversial decisions to oust the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director and restrict COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. The hearing, described by many as brutal, marked the latest flashpoint in a tenure that has become a lightning rod in the nation’s ongoing debate about public health, science, and the role of government.
Yet, as the dust settled on Capitol Hill, a surprising twist emerged in the public narrative. According to CNN’s data analyst Harry Enten, Kennedy is, at least by the numbers, the “most popular” member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. It’s a designation that comes with a heavy dose of irony—Kennedy’s net favorable rating stands at -7, meaning more Americans view him unfavorably than favorably, but he’s still outpacing Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-10), Vice President JD Vance (-11), and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (-14). As Enten quipped during his segment, “So, no, RFK Jr. is not a drag on President Trump. He’s not the most embattled.”
That’s cold comfort for Kennedy, who has watched the backlash against his policies swell to a fever pitch. Over 1,000 current and former staffers from the Department of Health and Human Services, along with leading medical experts, have publicly called for his resignation. The criticism isn’t just coming from the professional sphere; it’s personal, too. On Friday morning, September 5, Kennedy’s own sister, Kerry Kennedy, took to social platform X with a scathing rebuke: “Medical decisions belong in the hands of trained and licensed professionals, not incompetent and misguided leadership. The decimation of critical institutions like the NIH and the CDC will lead to the loss of innocent lives. This means that children, mothers, fathers, and those you love are at risk now, like never before. … Enough is enough. Secretary Kennedy must resign.”
Despite the storm, President Trump has stood firm behind his health secretary. At a dinner with top tech CEOs on the evening of September 4, Trump expressed satisfaction with Kennedy’s performance at the hearing, saying, “It’s not your standard talk, I would say. And that has to do with medical and vaccines. But if you look at what’s going on in the world with health, and look at this country also with regard to health, I like the fact that he’s different.” According to The Washington Post, Trump’s continued support is rooted in Kennedy’s alignment with the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) coalition—a group credited with helping deliver Trump to the White House and whose agenda remains popular among the president’s base.
Kennedy, for his part, showed no signs of backing down during the Senate hearing. When pressed by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate’s Health Committee, on his support for Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, Kennedy shot back, “Is this a question, Sen. Cassidy? Or is this a speech?” The combative tone carried through the proceedings, with Kennedy deflecting criticism and accusing senators of “making stuff up.”
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, praised Kennedy’s fiery approach in his “War Room” podcast, declaring, “Bobby Kennedy came out at the beginning breathing fire. They’ve been trying to tear Bobby Kennedy apart in [the] process of trying to fire him as Secretary of HHS. Bobby Kennedy I think gave better than he got.”
Kennedy’s journey to the Cabinet was itself the product of political calculation and shifting alliances. Once a fierce critic of Trump, Kennedy suspended his own presidential campaign in 2024 and threw his support behind the incumbent, reportedly in exchange for the chance to lead the nation’s health agencies—a role he has called his “dream job.” In August 2025, Kennedy announced he would not seek the presidency in 2028, pledging continued loyalty to Trump: “The president has made himself the answer to my 20-year prayer that God would put me in a position to end the chronic disease epidemic—and that’s exactly what my team and I will do until the day he leaves office,” Kennedy wrote on X.
The numbers, however, tell a more complicated story. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in early August found Kennedy with a 45 percent job approval rating and a 55 percent disapproval rating. Gallup’s poll from the same period showed him at 42 percent favorability. According to CNN’s Enten, this makes Kennedy the least unpopular Cabinet member, but in a climate where “being slightly less hated counts as being ‘the favorite.’”
That paradox is not lost on political analysts. Chris Meekins, a former health official in Trump’s first administration and now with Raymond James, noted, “While Republican criticisms of Secretary Kennedy are heightening, ultimately he has an audience of one: President Trump. We believe RFK is on more sure footing than many in D.C. and investors appreciate.”
Still, the calls for Kennedy’s resignation have only grown louder. On the day of the hearing, a coalition of medical organizations and societies issued a joint statement demanding he step down, describing the recent turmoil at the CDC as a “final exclamation point on a term defined by repeated efforts to undermine science and public health.” Eleven of twelve Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee echoed that demand, arguing that Kennedy’s leadership has weakened critical public health institutions at a time when they are needed most.
Yet, for all the controversy, Kennedy has managed to win over some corners of the conservative movement. Jay Richards, director of the DeVos Center for Human Flourishing at the Heritage Foundation, argued that Kennedy is precisely the kind of disruptor Trump needs. “This sort of second Trump term, I think he understands the problems much better,” Richards said. “And I think he recognizes in Robert F. Kennedy Jr., both a discernment and a willingness to take on precisely those same forces in the entrenched bureaucracy.” Richards added that while Kennedy’s vaccine policies have alarmed some, “the path that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is steering is precisely the middle ground. It might seem controversial, simply because the Uniparty is uniformly up in arms over the modest reforms that he’s making. But I don’t think that the sort of pace at which he’s proceeding is putting him at risk at all with President Trump.”
Other sources close to the White House say Kennedy’s popularity among Trump’s base—however relative that may be—remains a key reason for his continued support. “I know how it’s circling the news now, but the reason he’s going to stick with him is the MAHA agenda overall is very popular, and he’s the most popular Cabinet member, at least in polling,” one insider told The Washington Post. “I think there’s going to be some trial and error, but the whole reason Trump picked him for this position was to clean house, and that’s what he’s doing.”
As the political storm swirls, Kennedy’s fate seems to rest on his ability to maintain the confidence of one man: President Trump. With the president’s backing, Kennedy’s unorthodox approach to public health—and the fierce backlash it has provoked—may continue to define not only his own legacy, but the future of America’s health policy for years to come.