Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CNN host Dana Bash engaged in a heated exchange Sunday over the current rise in measles cases and the effectiveness of vaccines. The discussion, which aired on CNN's "State of the Union," touched upon who bears responsibility for vaccine hesitancy in the United States.
Bash pressed Kennedy on the increasing number of measles cases and whether he accepted any responsibility, given his public profile as a vaccine skeptic. Kennedy denied bearing responsibility, characterizing the situation as an international outbreak and highlighting that other countries, such as Mexico and Canada, have higher rates of measles per capita.
"Did I cause those measles outbreaks?" Kennedy asked, pushing back against Bash's premise. He also suggested that former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci had noted in private writings that COVID-19 lockdowns contributed more to children missing routine vaccinations than public health messaging.
Bash urged Kennedy to use his platform to encourage parents to vaccinate their children against measles, emphasizing its safety and life-saving potential. "What I want you to do is please use your bully pulpit to, right now, as we're getting close to back to school, say — are you willing to say to parents who have not vaccinated their kids that they should vaccinate their kids for measles because it is safe, and it will help them save their children's lives?" Bash asked.
After some back-and-forth, Kennedy stated, "I will say it right now, that people, parents should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective. It stops measles in about 97% of the cases. So, people should get vaccinated."
Later in the interview, the conversation became tense when Bash questioned Kennedy about investigations into potential links between vaccines and autism. Kennedy accused Bash of rolling her eyes, which she denied, stating her frustration stemmed from his remarks potentially contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Bash asserted that her role as a journalist involves asking tough questions, and CNN subsequently defended her performance, noting that Kennedy affirmed his support for measles vaccinations during the interview.
"We stand behind Dana, her reporting, and CNN’s overall coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic," a CNN spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Asking tough, substantive questions to those in power is the job of every journalist, and Dana did hers incredibly well today."