Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Trump Administration Incorrectly Claims Certainty About Origin of Coronavirus

Trump Administration Incorrectly Claims Certainty About Origin of Coronavirus

Since regaining power in January, the Trump administration has repeatedly claimed with false certainty that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in a lab. But there isn’t clear evidence that the virus came from a lab. A new government website promoting the claim also gets some basic facts wrong.

Trump, Allies Spread Unfounded Claims About Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis

Trump, Allies Spread Unfounded Claims About Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis

Former President Joe Biden’s office announced on May 18 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer two days earlier, following the discovery of a prostate nodule. President Donald Trump and others have suggested, without evidence, that Biden’s diagnosis had been known much earlier and hidden from the public. 

RFK Jr.’s Misleading Line on the Chickenpox Vaccine

RFK Jr.’s Misleading Line on the Chickenpox Vaccine

Speaking before Congress, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. misleadingly claimed that Europe doesn’t vaccinate children against chickenpox because a study shows that when you do, “you get shingles in older people.” While that is a theoretical concern, studies have not borne that out — and parts of Europe do vaccinate kids.

Q&A on Trump’s Prescription Drug Pricing Executive Order

Q&A on Trump’s Prescription Drug Pricing Executive Order

In signing an executive order aimed at reducing U.S. drug prices, President Donald Trump said some prices would be cut in half or more “almost immediately.” But the order is light on details of how the plan would be implemented.

RFK Jr. Misleads About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine in Children

RFK Jr. Misleads About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine in Children

In recent interviews, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has minimized the risk COVID-19 poses to kids and exaggerated the risk of the vaccine, incorrectly claiming that the shot poses a “profound risk” to children. While serious side effects can occur, they are rare, and have not been shown to outweigh the benefits of the vaccine in protecting against COVID-19.

HHS Advances Kennedy’s Old ‘Placebo’ Vaccine Safety Claims

HHS Advances Kennedy’s Old ‘Placebo’ Vaccine Safety Claims

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has misleadingly claimed that vaccines are not tested in placebo-controlled trials. Now, an HHS spokesperson has used similar language in a statement that falsely said there’s little available evidence on whether vaccines are safe.

RFK Jr. Misleads on Autism Prevalence, Causes

RFK Jr. Misleads on Autism Prevalence, Causes

In announcing new autism prevalence data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. distorted scientific research to argue that there is an “epidemic” of autism that must be due to an “environmental toxin.”

Hits and Misses in RFK Jr.’s Comments on Food Dyes

Hits and Misses in RFK Jr.’s Comments on Food Dyes

In recent weeks, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that “very, very strong studies” link food dyes to cancer and ADHD. Experts are concerned about the impacts of unhealthy diets and obesity in the U.S., but some say Kennedy overstates the role of food dyes in chronic disease.

No Sign of Texas Measles Outbreak Slowing, Contrary to RFK Jr.’s Claims

No Sign of Texas Measles Outbreak Slowing, Contrary to RFK Jr.’s Claims

On four separate occasions, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Health and Human Services secretary, has suggested that the measles outbreak in Texas, which is now over 500 cases, is beginning to subside and grow more slowly. But a review of state data indicates there’s no decline yet in the pace of cases.