RFK Jr.: A Lifetime of Reckless Judgment and Public Health Risk

A Bulwark review of Isabel Vincent's RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise argues Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a uniquely self-centered figure, tracing his path from prankish youth and drug use to a lifelong quest for a distinct identity, then detailing his pivot to anti-vaccine activism and controversial leadership at HHS under Trump. Vincent leverages Kennedy’s diaries (1999–2001) to show a man hungry for more and prone to dishonesty, whose public-health stances have contributed to the measles resurgence and faced pushback from scientists and courts; the piece closes pessimistic that his fortunes will rebound, even as he launches a podcast to push greater transparency in government.