Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came under fire after posting a photograph of himself hiking in California as a deadly measles outbreak rages through West Texas.
President Donald Trump’s new health and human services secretary posed in a T-shirt and shorts for his 4.9 million Instagram followers and included the caption: “Afternoon mountaineering above Coachella Valley.”
He also posted the photo to his 5.5 million followers on X, 3.2 million on TikTok, and 1.1 followers on Facebook.
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Kennedy’s weekend break in the desert while health officials were struggling to contain the health crisis almost 1,000 miles away led to angry attacks over his handling of the outbreak and dismay from his own staff working overtime to contain it, according to reports.
More than 140 people have been infected in West Texas, and one child has died, inflaming fears that it could spread to other parts of the country.
On Monday, the day after Kennedy’s post, Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent him a letter saying: “Your irresponsible and reckless efforts to undermine the nation’s vaccine policy threaten to fan the flames of disaster.”
Warren was referring to Kennedy’s attempts to downplay the seriousness of the measles cases. While acknowledging his “deep concern” about the latest outbreak and accepting that vaccines protect children from measles, he has stopped short of recommending vaccinations in Texas and advocated the use of vitamin A to “reduce measles mortality.”
Politico reported that the post “quickly ricocheted” around the Department of Health and Human Services.
“It’s a serious role, he’s just a couple of weeks in and measles is not a common occurrence, and it should be all hands on deck,” one former Trump official told Politico.
“When you’re taking a selfie out at Coachella, it’s pretty clear that you’re checked out.”
Three weeks into the job as America’s health chief, Kennedy initially seemed unperturbed at the outbreak, saying it was “not unusual,” before changing his tune a few days later and saying he was making it a priority.
Frustration over Kennedy’s views on vaccination is said to have played a part in senior HHS spokesperson Thomas Corry’s decision to resign Monday.
Kennedy’s office has been contacted for comment.
