Politics1 min read

STAT+: Kennedy’s closing arguments for the 2026 midterms: Fraud, vaccines, and MAHA

By · Via STAT Health · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a Clive, Iowa, political rally backing Republican gubernatorial hopeful Zach Lahn by framing the candidate's challenge against corporate agriculture as a spiritual battle. The event gathered prominent figures from the Make America Healthy Again movement who targeted corporate farming practices and demanded the withdrawal of Covid-19 immunizations. During the event, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo also addressed the audience and delivered inaccurate statements concerning the hepatitis B vaccine. Other participants argued for dismantling legal liability protections that currently shield pesticide and drug manufacturers.

Key points

  • Key movement leaders are urging the federal government to withdraw the Covid-19 vaccine f…: Key movement leaders are urging the federal government to withdraw the Covid-19 vaccine from public distribution.
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the political fight against modern corporate agriculture as…: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the political fight against modern corporate agriculture as an essential spiritual battle.
  • Prominent movement figures are actively leveraging state campaign stops to build support…: Prominent movement figures are actively leveraging state campaign stops to build support for systemic health and environmental changes.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

On Wednesday night in Clive, Iowa, a parade of Make America Healthy Again activists and Republican candidates decried Big Agriculture, stressed the rise in chronic disease in America, and called for the Covid-19 vaccine to be removed from the market.

Among them, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who made inaccurate claims about the hepatitis B vaccine, Michael Boes, the chief MAHA officer at Steak ’n Shake, who called the MAHA movement a “catalyst for a monumental shift,” and Moms Across America founder Zen Honeycutt, who called for the end of liability shields for pesticide and pharmaceutical companies.

The rally was being held for Zach Lahn, the unlikely farmer-turned-Republican-candidate for Iowa governor, but speakers spent a lot of their time teeing up the main attraction of the night: Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been an ardent Lahn supporter.

Ahead of Kennedy’s appearance, which followed Lahn’s, a video montage of the secretary making speeches, shaking hands with President Trump and doing pull-ups was shown set to “Free Bird.”

When Kennedy finally took the stage, he called Lahn’s platform —…

Politics