‘He's not a manager’: Ex-RFK Jr. Employees Discuss His Potential HHS Leadership
The previous independent candidate received a characterization of being hands off.
TroibNews 
If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as secretary for President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services, it will be the most significant position he has held to date.
However, some of his former campaign team members express doubts about his readiness for the role.
Kennedy hails from a prominent Democratic political family and has taken on leadership positions as a lawyer and within nonprofit organizations. More frequently, though, he has served as the public figure for these initiatives rather than as an executive manager. His presidential campaign was similarly characterized by limited daily management involvement, according to interviews with several former campaign staffers.
“He's an inspirational leader who's able to communicate. But he's not a manager,” remarked Jeff Hutt, spokesperson for the Make America Healthy Again political action committee and Kennedy's former national field director.
Kennedy's campaign — his latest professional venture — was suspended before any votes were cast, leaving him with a debt of $4.5 million.
“I have no idea how he's going to run a full department, if that's how he ran the campaign,” a former campaign staffer, who requested anonymity to share insights on internal dynamics, stated. “Running a court case and suing folks is a lot different than running a business. I think he's a fantastic lawyer. I think he does his due diligence and understands law and truly wants to help all people.”
Kennedy has highlighted his experience as an environmental advocate and litigator as qualifications for the position, but he has never managed a team of such size. The Department of Health and Human Services manages 13 sub-agencies, has a budget exceeding $1 trillion, and employs more than 80,000 individuals.
Trump, who had previously considered offering Kennedy a role in his first administration, has assigned an immense responsibility to the HHS. In a statement announcing Kennedy's nomination, he noted that HHS “will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country.”
This task entails navigating a vast bureaucracy, quite different from the dynamics of Kennedy's campaign, which ultimately became a close-knit group of friends and family members.
“The campaign was a handful of people that were actual professionals, and a bunch of folks that Bobby's met along the health freedom journey,” explained another former staff member.
The resulting conflicts affected the team's performance and response time to negative coverage, hindering campaign operations, including its fundraising efforts.
“I technically think that we could have raised an additional $50 to $75 million from what he raised,” noted Dave Murphy, who served as the finance director on the campaign. “We should have had exponential growth, and that didn't happen. Every campaign and its leaders succeed or fail based on the leadership around them, the people that are close to them, and I think there were some people that didn't understand the vision of what a presidential campaign actually needs to bring money in the door to make it credible.”
While the campaign managed to raise about $62 million, more than $15 million of that total originated from Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, who is independently wealthy.
Former staffers believe that Kennedy will excel as a spokesperson and the face of the MAHA mission, which aims to combat chronic disease by "prioritizing regenerative agriculture, preserving natural habitats, and eliminating toxins from our food, water, and air."
This emphasis on publicity echoes the role he fulfilled in the successful lawsuit against Monsanto, the company behind the herbicide Roundup, as well as during his time as board chair of Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit from which he is currently on leave.
“He was basically our press secretary and spokesperson, and so that was really helpful. And when we got the verdict, he was the one who helped us organize,” said Brent Wisner, an attorney involved in the Monsanto case, regarding Kennedy’s contributions.
Wisner pointed out that Kennedy also proved valuable in press interactions throughout the trial, notably during the pre-trial discovery and research phase, where he highlighted instances of regulatory agencies favoring industry interests over health outcomes.
Kennedy’s subsequent legal challenges and writings surrounding vaccine safety distanced him from certain members of the environmental movement and the Democratic Party when he ran for president. Nevertheless, former staffers assert he possesses the necessary skills to rebuild connections and forge partnerships crucial for achieving success in Washington.
“He is a very genuine person. He listens and he's, you know, he likes to find the best answers available,” said a former senior staff member. “And as he's said publicly, you know, if you can show him where he's wrong on something, he will change his mind.”
This senior staff member also expressed skepticism that Kennedy would quickly "purge" department staffers, a move some of Trump's associates have suggested, believing he instead takes a more “cooler [tempered] approach.”
However, other former team members contend that while good intentions and relationship-building aptitude are beneficial, they are insufficient substitutes for robust leadership skills.
“He's going to need a good deputy," said Hutt. “I don't know who he has in mind, but I would hope that he would go outside of his campaign [staffers] for this position.”
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
However, some of his former campaign team members express doubts about his readiness for the role.
Kennedy hails from a prominent Democratic political family and has taken on leadership positions as a lawyer and within nonprofit organizations. More frequently, though, he has served as the public figure for these initiatives rather than as an executive manager. His presidential campaign was similarly characterized by limited daily management involvement, according to interviews with several former campaign staffers.
“He's an inspirational leader who's able to communicate. But he's not a manager,” remarked Jeff Hutt, spokesperson for the Make America Healthy Again political action committee and Kennedy's former national field director.
Kennedy's campaign — his latest professional venture — was suspended before any votes were cast, leaving him with a debt of $4.5 million.
“I have no idea how he's going to run a full department, if that's how he ran the campaign,” a former campaign staffer, who requested anonymity to share insights on internal dynamics, stated. “Running a court case and suing folks is a lot different than running a business. I think he's a fantastic lawyer. I think he does his due diligence and understands law and truly wants to help all people.”
Kennedy has highlighted his experience as an environmental advocate and litigator as qualifications for the position, but he has never managed a team of such size. The Department of Health and Human Services manages 13 sub-agencies, has a budget exceeding $1 trillion, and employs more than 80,000 individuals.
Trump, who had previously considered offering Kennedy a role in his first administration, has assigned an immense responsibility to the HHS. In a statement announcing Kennedy's nomination, he noted that HHS “will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country.”
This task entails navigating a vast bureaucracy, quite different from the dynamics of Kennedy's campaign, which ultimately became a close-knit group of friends and family members.
“The campaign was a handful of people that were actual professionals, and a bunch of folks that Bobby's met along the health freedom journey,” explained another former staff member.
The resulting conflicts affected the team's performance and response time to negative coverage, hindering campaign operations, including its fundraising efforts.
“I technically think that we could have raised an additional $50 to $75 million from what he raised,” noted Dave Murphy, who served as the finance director on the campaign. “We should have had exponential growth, and that didn't happen. Every campaign and its leaders succeed or fail based on the leadership around them, the people that are close to them, and I think there were some people that didn't understand the vision of what a presidential campaign actually needs to bring money in the door to make it credible.”
While the campaign managed to raise about $62 million, more than $15 million of that total originated from Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, who is independently wealthy.
Former staffers believe that Kennedy will excel as a spokesperson and the face of the MAHA mission, which aims to combat chronic disease by "prioritizing regenerative agriculture, preserving natural habitats, and eliminating toxins from our food, water, and air."
This emphasis on publicity echoes the role he fulfilled in the successful lawsuit against Monsanto, the company behind the herbicide Roundup, as well as during his time as board chair of Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit from which he is currently on leave.
“He was basically our press secretary and spokesperson, and so that was really helpful. And when we got the verdict, he was the one who helped us organize,” said Brent Wisner, an attorney involved in the Monsanto case, regarding Kennedy’s contributions.
Wisner pointed out that Kennedy also proved valuable in press interactions throughout the trial, notably during the pre-trial discovery and research phase, where he highlighted instances of regulatory agencies favoring industry interests over health outcomes.
Kennedy’s subsequent legal challenges and writings surrounding vaccine safety distanced him from certain members of the environmental movement and the Democratic Party when he ran for president. Nevertheless, former staffers assert he possesses the necessary skills to rebuild connections and forge partnerships crucial for achieving success in Washington.
“He is a very genuine person. He listens and he's, you know, he likes to find the best answers available,” said a former senior staff member. “And as he's said publicly, you know, if you can show him where he's wrong on something, he will change his mind.”
This senior staff member also expressed skepticism that Kennedy would quickly "purge" department staffers, a move some of Trump's associates have suggested, believing he instead takes a more “cooler [tempered] approach.”
However, other former team members contend that while good intentions and relationship-building aptitude are beneficial, they are insufficient substitutes for robust leadership skills.
“He's going to need a good deputy," said Hutt. “I don't know who he has in mind, but I would hope that he would go outside of his campaign [staffers] for this position.”
Mark B Thomas for TROIB News
