Abby McCloskey, Bloomberg Opinion, April 15, 2026

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, is once again out in front. This week, he launches his new podcast, which promises “fearless conversations” because “the government lies to us.” He’s scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. And he’ll be going out on the campaign trail alongside vulnerable members of Congress in advance of the midterms. This has pros and cons for Republicans.

Let’s start with the pros. According to recent Pew Research polling, Kennedy is the most popular member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, and these days, he’s more popular than the president himself: 44% of US adults have a favorable opinion of Kennedy, compared to just 40% who see the president favorably.

And he’s famous. In our age of celebrity politicians, few can compete with Kennedy’s celebrity status. Only 6% American adults have not heard of him. Compare that to other prominent folks in the administration: Nearly a third of voters haven’t heard of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a fifth haven’t heard of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. . . . “