Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, sought to trademark his "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) slogan, potentially for marketing vaccines, according to newly surfaced documents.
RFK Jr. transferred ownership of the MAHA trademark in December to an LLC managed by Del Bigtree, a well-known anti-vaccine activist. The trademark filing includes a wide range of potential uses, including supplements, essential oils, cryptocurrency, and, notably, vaccines.
His inconsistent vaccine stances have been under fire during Senate confirmation hearings this week. Though he denies being anti-vaccine, his 2019 trip to Samoa with an antivaccine activist coincided with a deadly measles outbreak. He's also correlated vaccines to rising autism rates, claims debunked by leading medical institutions.
"I don't know what we're going to use it for," Bigtree told The Washington Post and confirmed he now manages the trademark. "I have no intention to ever make a vaccine. That's not something I'm inspired to do."
The MAHA slogan, a clear play on Trump's "Make America Great Again," has been a rallying cry for Kennedy's push to overhaul public health policy.
RFK Jr. disclosed in government ethics filings that he made $100,000 from the MAHA brand before transferring the trademark.
The financial trail includes merchandise sales of hats, stickers, and hoodies. Bigtree's LLC also hosted a "MAHA Inaugural Ball" in January.
Critics are raising concerns about the commercialization of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health movement, with Harvard Medical School's Pieter Cohen questioning its intent. Cohen warns that dietary supplements, unlike pharmaceuticals, undergo minimal regulatory scrutiny. While he acknowledges Kennedy's push to examine processed foods more closely, he argues relying on supplements to solve America's health crisis contradicts the movement's goals.
His cousin, former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, condemned RJK's financial stakes in lawsuits targeting an HPV vaccine Tuesday.
"Bobby is willing to profit and enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer," she said.
Originally published on Latin Times
