Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, earned approximately $10.7 million in 2023, with much of his income stemming from his work with various law firms and his leadership of a vaccine-skeptic nonprofit. According to recently amended financial disclosures filed as part of his presidential campaign, Kennedy also holds significant assets, including between $500,001 and $1 million in Bitcoin and commercial real estate in Chicago worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Kennedy’s financial disclosure revealed that, in addition to his income from Children’s Health Defense (the nonprofit he founded) and his work as a litigator at JW Howard Attorneys, he made millions from his environmental law firm, Kennedy & Madonna, which netted him $8.6 million in 2023, up from $5 million in 2022. Despite his primary focus on environmental conservation, Kennedy also earned tens of thousands of dollars from Arctic Royalty, a company involved in oil and gas leasing across several states.
Kennedy’s income in 2023 surpassed his earnings in 2022, when he earned $7.8 million. However, his financial disclosure also revealed that Kennedy initially underreported his earnings from Children’s Health Defense, misrepresenting his income by over $200,000.
Kennedy’s work with Children’s Health Defense, which he stepped away from in April 2023 to run for president, has been marked by anti-vaccine campaigns, including controversial films targeting skepticism of vaccines within the African American community. This stance has raised concerns about his suitability for the role of Health Secretary. Kennedy’s views on vaccines have led to pushback, particularly after he clarified his support for the polio vaccine in response to criticism over his lawyer’s lobbying efforts to revoke the polio vaccine’s approval.
In addition to his roles at Children’s Health Defense and Kennedy & Madonna, Kennedy earned $12,000 in speaking fees from Hillsdale College, $413,500 in consulting fees from Skyhorse Publishing, $30,000 for healthcare consulting, and $22,000 from a National Resources Defense Council benefit plan. His and his wife’s total assets were valued at up to $17.9 million as of 2023.
