Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Set to Headline Children’s Health Defense Conference

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to headline a Children’s Health Defense (CHD) conference focused on the “health freedom movement,” including its current risks and opportunities. The event aims to “pursue a more perfect future” and will feature sessions and talks on September 17, with an opening reception scheduled for the previous evening.

Anti-vaccine figures listed among conference speakers

Other speakers on the agenda include Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a vocal critic of vaccines; Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.); Mark Gorton, director of the Kennedy MAHA Institute; and Jan Jekielek, senior editor of the right-wing media outlet The Epoch Times.

Several CHD staff members are also scheduled to speak, including CEO Mary Holland.

CHD conference ticket prices

In-person tickets priced at $250 are sold out, according to the conference website. Passes limited to the main conference room seating area are available for $125, while livestream access costs $100.

Kennedy’s changing relationship with CHD

Kennedy officially parted ways with CHD when he took his current job as health secretary in early 2025. Since then, he has sought to publicly distance himself from CHD and anti-vaccine views, repeatedly insisting during his confirmation hearing that he is “pro-vaccine,” despite his long history as an anti-vaccine activist.

Kennedy’s decision to headline a radically anti-vaccine event appears to signal a shift toward openly embracing the ideology and policies associated with the movement. The change follows reports that President Trump urged Kennedy to aggressively pursue the false claim that vaccines cause autism.