RFK Jr. Is Starting a Podcast

Why?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the current secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), but like so many (too many) political figures, what he really wants to do is talk on television. And so he is starting a podcast.

Billing his new show as an attempt at radical government transparency and accountability, RFK Jr. said in a statement: "This podcast is about telling the truth, especially when it's uncomfortable. I'm going to have fearless conversations with critical thinkers, including independent doctors, respected scientists and leaders in medical innovation and research."

Coming soon—The Secretary Kennedy Podcast. pic.twitter.com/CMkOmh8sFO

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) April 8, 2026

Unlike most other politicians and ex-politicians who decide to take a stab at long-form video commentary, Kennedy is genuinely talented at this kind of thing. Despite his notoriously strained manner of speech, which is due to a rare neurological condition, he is quite adept at speaking and raised his political profile in 2023–2024 by appearing on podcast after podcast. We hosted him several times on Rising, and it was hard not to be impressed by how effortlessly he could talk at great length about a wide variety of subjects. In a real sense, he paved the way for President Donald Trump to compete for the coveted podcast bro demographic with a new media-focused communications strategy. So on one hand, good for him.

But on the other hand…I'm sorry, there are just too many podcasts.

I know that sounds rich coming from me! Yes, yes, I participate in at least four different media programs that could be classified as podcasts or podcast-adjacent. If you're getting sick of me, my apologies. At least I'm staying in my lane, though: I'm not over here trying to be the secretary of HHS or a policymaker of any kind. It's the policymakers who have decided they would rather talk about stuff than actually do stuff.

It's not just Kennedy: Many members of Congress have started their own podcasts, with very few of them achieving any sort of following. A notable exception is Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas), whose Verdict with Ted Cruz show performs well. "So many members of Congress have podcasts that both Dem and GOP leadership in the House have websites where they're listed," notes Andrew Solender of Axios. "Party leadership wants this and encourages it!"

Fun fact, so many members of Congress have podcasts that both Dem and GOP leadership in the House have websites where they're listed:https://t.co/gJmVluCesbhttps://t.co/ztxJoYHlag

Party leadership wants this and encourages it!

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) February 26, 2025

Politicians being hungry for media attention is nothing new, of course. Republicans have long since discovered that they can massively increase their following and support from the MAGA movement by appearing on conservative media and sounding off about Democrats' plans to wreck the country. Democrats can do the same by bashing Trump while safely ensconced within mainstream and progressive media. And with the rise of YouTube and nontraditional options, there's less and less reason to even bother breaking for commercials: Conservative and liberal listeners increasingly want to get their commentary from uninterrupted three-hour long streams.

But the thing about making a podcast is that it eats up a lot of time you could spend doing other things, such as legislating. From a libertarian perspective, I'd rather have my member of Congress wasting their time with podcasting than voting to raise taxes or impose onerous regulations on businesses. But in the rare case where we might want Congress to actually do something serious (say, prevent the president from launching unauthorized wars on other nations), it's perhaps not ideal that they're so distracted all the time.

At least former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who ultimately decided he would rather be a podcaster than work in the administration, had the decency to go ahead and quit before returning to his show.

So while I'm happy that Kennedy wants to spend more time doing something he truly loves, I can't help but wonder whether all these podcasts are a distraction for the politicians who make them. Maybe a little less time spent talking on television and a little more time spent getting to the bottom of the COVID-19 origins coverup?

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