Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sharply criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an appearance on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, targeting Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and his long-standing views on vaccines.

Kennedy has faced mounting scrutiny from Democrats in recent weeks after moving quickly to shift priorities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

His decisions sparked a heated Senate hearing earlier in the week, where several Democrat senators accused him of being “out of touch” and “unqualified” to lead the agency.

Christie continued that line of criticism during his television appearance, where he clashed with former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

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The exchange began when host George Stephanopoulos noted that President Donald Trump has promoted both the success of Operation Warp Speed, the COVID-19 vaccine program, and his support for Kennedy, who has raised questions about current vaccine practices.

“Well, on one hand, for sure, Operation Warp Speed was a marvel,” Priebus said.

“I think the president deserves a lot of credit for it. But he also had no time to think. They had to move forward at a record pace, and they did it. But where I disagree with Chris is I watched all three and a half hours of that hearing. I saw somebody different. I saw a decent, humble, caring guy. I think he’s trying to do the right thing.”

Christie, visibly frustrated, interrupted with a forceful response.

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“I’m just gonna listen to what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said for 20 years. For 20 years, he has been a vaccine denier. Now, what you’re seeing around the country is people like Ron DeSantis in Florida saying, let’s get rid of all vaccine mandates,” Christie said.

He went further, tying Kennedy’s role at the CDC directly to President Trump’s decision to appoint him.

“This would not be happening if Donald Trump had not put the greatest public health denier of the last 20 years in charge of it,” Christie argued.

In the days leading up to the Sunday program, Kennedy published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal defending his recent moves.

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He justified staffing cuts and restructured priorities by citing what he described as redundant layers of bureaucracy that slowed the agency’s effectiveness.

Kennedy argued that the CDC’s “dysfunction” contributed to “irrational policy” during the COVID-19 pandemic, a failure he said caused the United States to record a disproportionately high number of deaths compared with other nations.

“This failure was no anomaly,” Kennedy wrote, adding that the CDC had “presided over rising chronic disease” in the country, which he called “a true modern pandemic.”

Responding to claims that he is a vaccine denier, Kennedy has pushed back, saying that he supports the health benefits of most vaccines but believes current vaccine schedules, particularly those for young children, should be reconsidered.

The debate underscores ongoing tensions over Kennedy’s leadership at the health agency as he attempts to steer its direction in the face of criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

With Democrats questioning his qualifications and Christie labeling him a long-time opponent of vaccines, Kennedy continues to face bipartisan pressure while defending his restructuring agenda at the CDC.

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