Provably False Claims

NewsGuard has identified 96 different false claims promoted by Kennedy.

NewsGuard has identified 96 different provably false narratives, dating to 2016, that have been advanced by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the anti-vaccine nonprofit he founded, Children’s Health Defense. 

Many of the claims relate to vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic, bird flu, and food safety. More than half focus on COVID vaccines, including claims that these vaccines have caused millions of deaths, as well as cases of leprosy, miscarriages, and cancer. Kennedy has also claimed that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not cause AIDS and that cell phone use damages human DNA.

Below is the list of all 96 of the false claims that NewsGuard has identified and debunked in its Misinformation Fingerprint catalog. Interested parties seeking detailed information about one of more of these claims, including the specific facts debunking them, can contact media@newsguardtech.com. 

1. Vaccines cause autism

2. HIV does not cause AIDS

3. All vaccines can “shed,” meaning vaccinated individuals will infect others with the disease

4. No vaccines have been tested in placebo-controlled clinical trials 

5. Fluoride in drinking water is dangerous

6. Cell phone use damages your DNA and can cause cancer

7. WiFi is bad for your health

8. COVID-19 vaccines are linked to miscarriages

9. Vaccines cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

10. Multiple childhood vaccinations can cause ADHD

11. The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) provides definitive evidence of serious injuries and deaths caused by vaccines

12. Hank Aaron's death was linked to COVID-19 vaccine

13. Bill Gates has been indicted in the Netherlands over COVID-19 vaccine injuries

14. A Bill Gates-backed polio vaccine caused a polio epidemic in India

15. Bill Gates is facing charges in India for illegally testing HPV vaccines on children

16. Bill Gates' meningitis vaccine paralyzed 50 Chadian children

17. An October 2024 study proves that COVID-19 vaccines contain 55 undeclared harmful chemicals 

18. ‘Hot lots’ of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines cause higher rates of vaccine injuries

19. A German study found that COVID-19 vaccines damaged children’s immune systems

20. New Zealand’s ‘Pandemic Plan’ will allow police to forcibly vaccinate people

21. A July 2024 study proves COVID-19 vaccines have no benefit and caused excess deaths

22. British Medical Journal study shows COVID-19 vaccines may have caused millions of excess deaths

23. COVID-19 vaccines caused a 318 percent increase in deaths in the UK 

24. Bird flu cannot evolve naturally to spread between humans

25. Study proves COVID-19 vaccines caused 14 times more deaths than they saved

26. COVID-19 vaccines are linked to increased infant mortality rate

27. USC study proves that children vaccinated against COVID-19 are more infectious than unvaccinated children

28. Canadian study proves that COVID-19 vaccines killed 17 million people

29. A July 2024 study proves that COVID-19 caused no excess deaths

30. COVID-19 vaccines are linked to growing number of leprosy cases

31. MRNA COVID-19 vaccines could cause an increase in neurological disorders

32. One in three Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines distributed in Europe may have been placebos

33. MRNA vaccines given to animals can harm humans

34. HPV vaccine causes infertility

35. MRNA COVID-19 vaccines are gene therapies

36. HPV vaccines cause autoimmune diseases

37. Myocarditis risk is higher after COVID-19 vaccination than after an COVID-19 infection itself in all age groups

38. Vaccinated people are more likely to get omicron

39. The Biden administration proposed all nations cede their sovereignty over health policy to the World Health Organization

40. Widespread deaths and sudden cardiac events among athletes are attributable to COVID-19 vaccines

41. HHS paid news organizations $1 billion to promote positive news coverage of COVID-19 vaccines

42. Moderna created the COVID-19 virus

43. Pfizer documents show its COVID-19 vaccine caused thousands of dangerous side effects

44. CDC changed PCR test standards for the vaccinated

45. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial showed only a 12 percent efficacy

46. Wearing a face mask can cause hypercapnia

47. Flu vaccine increases risk of contracting COVID-19

48. Thimerosal in vaccines is unsafe

49. Aluminum in vaccines is unsafe

50. MRNA vaccines can cause cancer

51. FAA changed its cardiac health guidelines for pilots because of COVID-19 vaccines

52. The WHO’s polio vaccination campaign in Gaza uses an 'experimental' vaccine

53. A study proved that 74 percent of deaths after COVID-19 vaccination were caused by vaccines

54. Bird flu virus has not been found in raw milk of infected cows

55. FDA-approved bird flu vaccine Audenz has a 1-in-200 death rate

56. Sodium aluminum phosphate in food can be dangerous

57. AstraZeneca and Sanofi's nirsevimab shot against RSV led to a rise in newborn deaths in France

58. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine caused heart damage in 1 in 35 recipients.

59. Injuries and disabilities from COVID-19 vaccines have cost the U.S. economy $147 billion

60. The CDC is tracking the unvaccinated through electronic health codes

61. COVID-19 vaccines linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

62. COVID-19 vaccine shedding causes reproductive problems in unvaccinated women

63. Vaccine package inserts provide definitive evidence of serious side effects caused by vaccines

64. 5G technology poses health risks

65. Vaccinated mothers can transfer COVID-19 spike proteins to their children through breastfeeding

66. A May 2024 study proves only COVID-19 vaccines, not COVID infection, cause myocarditis and pericarditis

67. The U.S. paid CVS and Walgreens to reject prescriptions of ivermectin to treat COVID

68. A Japanese study proves that COVID-19 vaccines caused an increase in cancer deaths

69. Fibrous blood clots reported by embalmers are proof of widespread deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccines

70. COVID-19 vaccines contain monkey virus DNA

71. The WHO's pandemic treaty would result in nations ceding their sovereignty over health policy

72. HPV vaccine has not reduced cervical cancer rates

73. Azidothymidine (AZT), a treatment for HIV, killed hundreds of thousands of people

74. Gavin Newsom had a major adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot

75. Vaccinated COVID-19 patients have a higher viral load than the unvaccinated

76. The COVID-19 vaccine causes more severe cases of COVID-19

77. Flu vaccines increase risk of miscarriage

78. The spike protein in COVID-19 vaccines is toxic 

79. A California state bill would allow the government to take custody of minors who are seeking gender-affirming surgery

80. Atrazine in drinking water is causing gender dysphoria 

81. Anthony Fauci will profit from a COVID-19 vaccine

82. Remdesivir is responsible for killing COVID-19 patients

83. The COVID-19 vaccine will change your DNA

84. The COVID-19 vaccine includes microchips to surveil people

85. Flu vaccine increases risk of contracting COVID-19

86. Rubella vaccine inventor Stanley Plotkin admitted vaccines have not been properly studied

87. Only 6% of reported COVID-19 deaths were actually from COVID-19

88. Receiving blood donated by a vaccinated person is unsafe

89. Study of 99 million people shows that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe 

90. COVID-19 vaccines create variants 

91. CDC plans to place people in COVID-19 internment camps

92. Polio is caused by toxins, not by a virus

93. Measles vaccination can cause measles

94. The drug ivermectin is a proven effective treatment for COVID-19

95. Hydroxychloroquine is a proven COVID-19 treatment or cure

96. Mayo Clinic updated its website to endorse hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19