‘How’s this a bad thing?’ MSNBC’s Chris Hayes troubled by RFK Jr.’s ‘obsession with autism’

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes is troubled by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “obsession” with finding the cause of autism.

Attacking RFK Jr. on his Why Is This Happening podcast, Hayes claimed that kids with autism are being victimized by the “derogatory” focus on the disorder.

“One of the things that’s been very strange to me about watching the development of the perversion of the public health system under RFK is the obsession with autism,” the left-wing host said. “So it’s like, it’s on both ends. And that autism is this like creeping specter that’s, you know, this society is awash in it.”

“And when RFK talks about it, he talks about these kids are never going to have a life. They’re never going to go to a baseball game,” Hayes continued. “And just in these really like profoundly kind of derogatory ways that I have to say, with a lot of people who have various autism diagnoses that are close to me in my life, many of these people don’t react great to the rhetoric that has emanated from the White House.

“But it has become this strange, I think, strange kind of obsession and this kind of cultural touchstone.”

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes says RFK Jr has a “strange obsession” with finding the cause of autism pic.twitter.com/CUBBADLocD

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 9, 2025

Kennedy turned Big Pharma on its head when he spoke about a possible link between the pain reliever Tylenol and autism, a theory he said many oppose because of their hatred for President Donald Trump.

“Anybody who takes the stuff during pregnancy unless they have to is irresponsible,” Kennedy said at this week’s Cabinet meeting. “It is not proof. We’re doing the studies to make the proof.”

But, in the eyes of the left, how dare RFK Jr. want to improve the lives of children.

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on Elon Musk’s social media platform X:

RFK doesn’t want children to suffer and he wants children to live healthy, happy lives. Chris thinks that’s weird. I don’t think that it’s RFK that’s the problem in this story.

— Ellie A (@EllieGAnders) October 9, 2025

When these types think of autism they think of the cool Sheldon type. They don’t think of the non verbal, screaming if the 3pm meal is 2 minutes late type and spends 50% of waking life with headphones on to drown out the world type.

— Michael Cook (@Michael88067311) October 9, 2025

Isnt this a good thing? Its not like we shouldnt investigate the thing that has increased by an astronomical amount in the last 50 years.

— Dublin Marley (@DublinMarley) October 9, 2025

How is this a bad thing?

It’s like saying someone has a strange obsession with finding a cure to cancer.

— Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) October 9, 2025

Why would the head of our country’s public health sector want to prevent a devastating neurodevelopmental condition…‍

Good grief.

This is what TDS does to people.

— IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) October 9, 2025

pic.twitter.com/5mHLnsoipY

— Florida Mama (@nickberoxbe1989) October 9, 2025

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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

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