{"id":2649716,"date":"2026-08-26T05:53:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T09:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-blasts-josh-shapiro-for-accusing-him-of-spreading-vaccine-conspiracy-theories\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T06:05:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:05:45","slug":"rfk-jr-blasts-josh-shapiro-for-accusing-him-of-spreading-vaccine-conspiracy-theories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-blasts-josh-shapiro-for-accusing-him-of-spreading-vaccine-conspiracy-theories\/","title":{"rendered":"RFK Jr. blasts Josh Shapiro for accusing him of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frfk-jr-blasts-josh-shapiro-for-accusing-him-of-spreading-vaccine-conspiracy-theories%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2649716&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticized Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for accusing him of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories. Shapiro had announced two measles deaths in Pennsylvania, unvaccinated individuals, and accused Kennedy and the Trump administration of fostering vaccine misinformation.kennedy refuted the claims, stating Shapiro failed to provide proof during their phone conversation and accused him of gaslighting the public. Kennedy also highlighted that he discussed concerns about vaccine ingredients, such as fetal tissue in the MMR vaccine, and presented evidence confirming the presence of fetal cell DNA in the vaccine. He contradicted Shapiro&#8217;s assertion that he was responsible for declining vaccination rates in Pennsylvania, stating most of the decline occurred during the Biden administration, citing government overreach during COVID-19. Kennedy described Shapiro&#8217;s criticism as another form of gaslighting and emphasized the importance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-deletes-tweet-instructing-israel-to-stand-down-amid-hamas-terror\/\" title=\"Biden Admin removes tweet advising Israel to stand down during Hamas terror.\">accurate medical data<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secretary of Health and Human Services <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rfk-jr\/\">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.<\/a>, criticized Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) for accusing him of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-did-marjorie-taylor-greene-say-people-are-dying-who-have-never-died-before\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: Did Marjorie Taylor Greene Say, \u2018People Are Dying Who Have Never Died Before\u2019?\">spreading conspiracy theories<\/a> about vaccines. Shapiro\u2019s comments came as the governor announced on Tuesday that two people in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\/\">Pennsylvania<\/a> died from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4699603\/pennsylvania-die-measles-lancaster-county-highly-contagious-elimination-status-to-review\/\">measles<\/a>. Both were unvaccinated, Shapiro said. He accused Kennedy and the Trump administration of \u201cscaring people\u201d into not believing doctors and medical information about vaccines. Kennedy objected to the criticism and said that Shapiro was gaslighting the public. Kennedy posted on X the details of the phone conversation he said he had with Shapiro.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDuring our phone conversation, Governor Shapiro also accused me of promoting vaccine misinformation,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertKennedyJr\/status\/2092441234581160251?s=46\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Kennedy in the post. \u201cWhen I asked him for an example, he was unable to provide one, but this did not deter him from publicly repeating that accusation during his press event. As I told him, HHS does not tolerate misinformation by any employee. I offered to point to hundreds of instances of vaccine misinformation by the Biden administration about which I had never heard him complain.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4700552\/rfk-jr-blasts-josh-shapiro-for-accusing-him-of-spreading-vaccine-conspiracy-theories\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>RFK Jr. blasts Josh Shapiro for accusing him of spreading vaccine conspiracy theories<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4700535\/philadelphia-da-says-were-gonna-blow-it-up-when-discussing-trumps-white-house-ballroom\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Philadelphia DA says \u2018we\u2019re gonna blow it up\u2019 when discussing Trump\u2019s White House ballroom<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4699862\/dolly-parton-dies-at-age-80\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Dolly Parton dies at age 80 after \u2018brief battle with cancer\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At his press conference today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro accused me of promoting conspiracy theories because I told him, during an earlier telephone conversation, that some Americans had religious objections to the MMR vaccine because it contained fetal tissue. \u201cThere is\u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\u2014 Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertKennedyJr\/status\/2092441234581160251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 26, 2026<\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a media briefing on Tuesday to announce the deaths, Shapiro said he spoke with Kennedy, who called him to offer resources to help with the measles outbreak. The Pennsylvania governor said he rejected Kennedy\u2019s offer and added that he criticized him for his anti-vaccine rhetoric. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was very, very blunt with him, and I made very clear that his actions and the rhetoric that\u2019s coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America, particularly right here in Pennsylvania,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/health-news\/measles-pennsylvania-deaths-two-outbreak-rfk-jr-rcna594296\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> Shapiro. \u201cThere\u2019s real-life consequences to scaring people and not relying on actual doctors and actual medical professionals to provide unbiased information to parents so that we can make reasonable decisions for our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSharing conspiracy theories and misinformation does not help the causes of public health, and it leaves people less healthy and less safe,\u201d Shapiro continued. \u201cAnd it leaves parents in a position where it\u2019s harder for us to do our jobs to protect our children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kennedy objected to Shapiro\u2019s categorization. He also mentioned that he spoke with Shapiro about concerns some people had regarding the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, more commonly known as MMR. It is a two-shot series to protect people against measles, mumps, and rubella, according to the U.S. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt his press conference today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro accused me of promoting conspiracy theories because I told him, during an earlier telephone conversation, that some Americans had religious objections to the MMR vaccine because it contained fetal tissue. \u2018There is no fetal tissue in the MMR,\u2019 he told me,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He then shared a video deposition of Dr. Stanley Plotkin, who <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/vaccinatedoneman00offi\/page\/78\" rel=\"noopener\">developed<\/a> the rubella vaccine. In the video, Plotkin answers in the affirmative when asked if the MMR vaccine contained fetal tissue. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDuring Dr. Plotkin\u2019s deposition, Attorney Aaron Siri asked: \u2018Isn\u2019t it true that MMR II contains approximately 150 nanograms cells substrate double-strand DNA and single-strand DNA per dose, purposefully fragmented to approximately 215 base pairs in length?\u2019\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RobertKennedyJr\/status\/2092441234581160251?s=46\" rel=\"noopener\">read<\/a> Kennedy\u2019s post. \u201cDr. Plotkin answered: \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s probably correct, yes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4699603\/pennsylvania-die-measles-lancaster-county-highly-contagious-elimination-status-to-review\/\"><strong>TWO PENNSYLVANIANS DIE OF MEASLES IN LANCASTER COUNTY HOTBED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also chided Shapiro for saying that Kennedy was responsible for the decrease in Pennsylvania\u2019s vaccination rates. Kennedy disputed Shapiro\u2019s claims and said that he challenged Shapiro on the information and that the Pennsylvania governor backtracked his assertions and admitted that \u201cmost of the decline occurred during the Biden administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGovernor Shapiro also faulted me for the decline in Pennsylvania vaccination rates from 97% \u2013 93.2%,\u201d Kennedy said in his post. \u201cWhen I pushed back on this assertion, he acknowledged that most of the decline occurred during the Biden administration. It\u2019s unfortunately true that the government lockdowns, deceptions, manipulation, and overreach during Covid severely damaged public faith in the vaccine program.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGovernor Shapiro\u2019s press conference was an example of the same species of gaslighting,\u201d Kennedy added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RFK Jr. criticizes Shapiro over vaccine conspiracy claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2649717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-kvernrxx7-1787736611545-e1787736652899.jpg?1787722260&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[37061,52826,32068,50401,84671],"class_list":["post-2649716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-josh-shapiro","tag-political-dispute","tag-public-health","tag-rfk-jr-2","tag-vaccine-conspiracy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-kvernrxx7-1787736611545-e1787736652899.jpg?1787722260&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649716"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649720,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649716\/revisions\/2649720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}