Yes, RFK Jr. said autistic children will never pay taxes, hold a job, play baseball or write a poem [View all]

In April 2025, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, said autistic children "will never pay taxes. They'll never hold a job. They'll never play baseball. They'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted."

Rating: Correct Attribution


In mid-April 2025, a rumor spread online that U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said autistic children would not go on to pay taxes, hold a job, play baseball or do other everyday things.

For example, Gillian Branstetter, a communications strategist at the American Civil Liberties Union, claimed on Bluesky that Kennedy said autistic children would never pay taxes, hold down a job or contribute anything to society.

In the same post, which had amassed more than 5,900 likes as of this writing, she included a video of Talking Heads musician David Byrne — who has previously discussed recognizing in himself characteristics of autism — dancing freely on stage in an oversize suit.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/quote-rfk-jr-autistic-kids/