Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued his tour through Alaska Wednesday with Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Kennedy visited the federally funded Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center in Fairbanks, meeting with tribal leaders and touring the Native healthcare facility. He was joined by Alaska’s US Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski.
Outside the building and along the road, tensions rose as dueling groups gathered. Protesters who are anti-Kennedy shouted “Vaccines save lives!” in opposition to he health secretary’s cancellation of funding for research promoting the controversial mRNA vaccines, which have been linked to cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart), particularly in male teens.
One man was detained by officers after making a move toward Kennedy that appeared aggressive. The man had been yelling about genocide in Palestine.
Meanwhile, pro-Trump demonstrators waved American and Trump flags. One Trump supporter, an older woman with a service dog, returned to her car to find a window smashed out.
This scene mirrored Kennedy’s stop in Anchorage on Tuesday, where similar liberal protesters greeted him.
Following the Fairbanks clinic visit, Kennedy, Sullivan, and Murkowski took questions from the press. Kennedy said the trip was focused on listening to tribal health leaders and understanding the challenges of healthcare delivery in remote communities.
