Liz Wheeler

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vaxx big pharma 9 25 watters

rfk looks bad in senate hearings 9 25 on msnbc yt anyway

mma

How right-wing media sow distrust and confusion around vaccines and science

As Florida ends school vaccine requirements and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership comes under fire, the right has repackaged anti-science talking points as well-meaning skepticism

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Isabella Sherk, Jack Wheatley & Jack Winstanley

Published 09/18/25

Amid the rise of the so-called “Make America Healthy Again” movement, right-wing media figures have employed a variety of tactics that sow doubt and confusion around vaccine efficacy and science more broadly. These efforts to capitalize on existing distrust of public health institutions and pharmaceutical companies have gained renewed momentum following Florida’s elimination of vaccine requirements for schools and comments made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a contentious Senate hearing.

MAHA acolytes have challenged well-studied topics by “just asking questions,” described vaccination requirements as impediments to freedom and parental choice, and exploited post-pandemic mistrust of public health infrastructure and pharmaceutical companies.

The MAHA movement is fueling mistrust in medicine amid a CDC leadership shake-up and Florida's elimination of vaccine requirements

- In early September, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the state is working to eliminate all vaccine requirements for children in public schools, an announcement which quickly came under fire by doctors and public health experts. In his statement to the public, Ladapo said of vaccines, “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.” The American Medical Association released a statement opposing the move, stating: “This unprecedented rollback would undermine decades of public health progress and place children and communities at increased risk for diseases such as measles, mumps, polio, and chickenpox resulting in serious illness, disability, and even death.” NBC News, [9/3/25; The American Medical Association, 9/3/25]

- After the firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced scrutiny from both sides of the aisle at a contentious Senate hearing where many called for his resignation.Monarez’s firing spurred other top CDC officials to step down and caution the public over the state of the organization’s scientific independence. This, along with criticism for canceling $500 million in funding for mRNA research that produced the lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine, contributed to a dramatic hearing where senators sparred with Kennedy. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who voted for Kennedy’s confirmation, said the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation that only people at high risk for complications and those over 65 need the vaccine effectively denies people access to the shot. NPR, [9/4/25; BBC News, 8/5/25; CBS News,8/28/25]

- At a September 17 Senate hearing, Monarez testified that Kennedy had told her “that the ‘childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in September’ and that she ‘needed to be on board with it.’” According to NPR, Monarez told the senators that Kennedy “just wanted blanket approval” adding, “Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology.” NPR, [9/17/25]

- The New York Times used AI to analyze 38 MAHA figures and organizations featured in around 12,000 videos and podcasts, concluding that these influencers amplify frustration with the health care system to reel viewers in “using wellness content as a trojan horse for conspiracy theories.” The Times noted that some of these figures are using these platforms to sell a product rather than to meaningfully address public health problems like poverty or lack of access to nutritious food and health care. One interviewee who got pulled down the MAHA rabbit hole said, “I thought if my daughter got vaccinated, she would die in her sleep that night.” The New York Times, [9/9/25]

## Tactic 1: “Just asking questions” about established science as a means to sow doubt

Right-wing media figures have presented uninformed, speculative questions about the safety of vaccines as legitimate criticism of the science, saying there’s nothing wrong with “wanting to ask questions” and often presenting their own queries as evidence that established bodies of research should be approached skeptically. In an essay for Big Think, Warren Berger argued that people falsely equate “questioning with critical thinking” and added that conspiracy theorists “act as if their uninformed, speculative questions demand that someone else provide answers.” Kelly Weirich, professor of philosophy at Pierce College, also stated that “while questions technically don’t make claims, they do affirm claims in a subtler way through the assumptions embedded in them.” University of Dayton lecturer Megan Donelson noted that the right’s tactic of “just asking questions” in this way “serves to undermine public trust in science and medicine.”

- Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones attacked Democrats questioning Kennedy, saying, “I guess the most frustrating thing about the entire hearing is there seems to be zero curiosity on why we're such a sick nation.” Jones continued, “I do have some genuine curiosity about the science about each vaccine. And it didn't seem like they were trying to get to the bottom of that or even hear him out.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*, [9/5/25]

- Fox & Friendsco-host Brian Kilmeade asked, “When do you give the vaccines? Are you giving them all at once? Does that play into autism?” He claimed that in a few weeks, Kennedy “will announce the cause of autism, or the likely cause, which I think is extremely beneficial for us.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*, [9/5/25]

- Jones later said that “there is something wrong with some of the vaccines,” adding that “not all of them are bad, but there are questions that Americans have about it.” He continued, “They should be able to give us answers. But we're not conducting our own studies. We depend on foreign people to do the studies, and there’s questions there.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*, [9/8/25]

- OnThe Five, co-host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery claimed, “I disagree with him [Kennedy] on a lot of stuff but at least he makes me think about vaccines.” She added, “I think that is the best thing we can do as a society. And have these honest discussions about how we look and what we are putting in our bodies, and the solutions we are giving our children when we are failing them — when all of these institutions are failing them.” Fox News, *The Five*, [9/4/25]

- Fox host and former Trump White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she doesn’t agree with everything Kennedy says but likes his “healthy skepticism for the science, wanting to ask questions about your children, what we are putting in their bodies.” Fox News, *The Five*, [9/5/25]

- Fox News’ Sean Hannity asked MAHA podcaster Gary Brecka, “Are we overprescribing generally as a society and overvaccinating?” Brecka responded, “We are the most over-medicalized nation in the world,” describing the U.S. as “the sickest, fattest, most disease-ridden nation in the world.” Fox News, *Hannity*, [9/4/25]

- Newsmax host Rob Finnerty asked if it's possible that former President Joe Biden is “vaccine-injured” and suggested vaccination caused his cancer. Newsmax, *Finnerty*, [9/2/25]

- Fox News host Laura Ingraham noted that “Kennedy and others have raised questions about the number of new vaccines added to the recommended pediatric schedule.” Citing the supposedly “staggering” increase in recommended vaccinations, Ingraham argued that it “makes total sense” to change COVID vaccine approvals. Fox News, *The Ingraham Angle*, [9/4/25]

## Tactic 2: Presenting vaccine requirements as impediments to freedom and parental choice
Criticisms against public health policy surged at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and rhetoric equating vaccine mandates to government overreach has persisted within the right-wing media ecosystem. The Nations Health, an outlet of the American Public Health Association, has highlighted several recent examples of the “medical freedom movement” undermining public health by removing fluoride from tap water and promoting alternative medicines. Additionally, the new CDC recommendations will make it more difficult for those who wish to get vaccinated for COVID-19, as the vaccines may no longer be covered by insurance companies.

- On his radio show, Fox host Sean Hannity celebrated the Florida mandate rescission, which he claimed was “giving people freedom and giving people choice, which I think is great.” Premiere Radio Network, *The Sean Hannity Show*, [9/4/25]

- Hannity: “Masks may be coming back to California while the free state of Florida is moving to end draconian vaccine mandates for your children in school.” Fox News, *Hannity*, [9/4/25]

- Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson wrote that “vaccine mandates are wrong” and “Florida is absolutely right to remove them,” adding, “Parents should have the final say over kids’ health, not the government.” Twitter/X, [9/4/25]

- Dr. Simone Gold, an anti-vaccine activist and January 6 participant, celebrated the FDA’s move to end Emergency Use Authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine, stating, “Mandates are dead. Freedom wins.” Twitter/X, [8/27/25, ABC News, 6/12/22]

- Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt emphasized parental choice while talking about COVID vaccines, saying, “As a mom, I’m going to decide what my child gets.”Earhardt: “There were a handful of us that didn't want our kids to have the COVID vaccine. That was my choice as a mom, because we interviewed so many kids — the kid who played soccer out on Long Island, who fell and had a heart problem, can’t play anymore, and his parents thought it was because of the vaccine. I just heard so many stories like that, I made the decision for myself.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*, [9/5/25]

## Tactic 3: Exploiting distrust of public health organizations, experts, and pharmaceutical manufacturers

The MAHA movement and Kennedy — who according to NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin “seems to assume bad intent among experts” and who has accused public health agencies of “deliberately manipulating the truth” — have seized on a wider sense of mistrust and confusion following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report from Politico, “An increasing number of families are projecting their attitudes toward the Covid-19 vaccine onto shots for measles, chickenpox, meningitis and other diseases,” and “parents who were hesitant to vaccinate their children before the pandemic have now been joined by people who think the government mishandled the crisis.” Now, despite evidence suggesting that the COVID-19 vaccine saved millions of lives, Kennedy and his MAHA acolytes are exploiting this distrust in public health institutions to appeal to a base that “felt angered by a lot of early pandemic policies” and “felt betrayed by the government.”

- Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier claimed, “The CDC lost all credibility throughout the COVID pandemic when they continued to universally recommend the COVID vaccine, even after the science changed.” She continued, “The problem here we have is that all of these vaccines are being lumped as though that they are created equally and they have the same benefit, and the reality is that's not true. So while removing all vaccine mandates for school-aged children is swinging that pendulum from one extreme to the other extreme, truly Americans — and especially our children — deserve more of a nuanced discussion about this.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*, [9/4/25]

- Right-wing podcaster Liz Wheeler wrote that fewer people now believe the government should “forcibly vaxx kids” because “70+ shots added to the schedule, an insane epidemic of autism, ADHD, cancer, neurological issues, & autoimmune diseases among CHILDREN.” She continued, “A generation of children have been hurt, and we all know it. If you think Bobby Kennedy doesn’t have America’s support, you’re crazy.” Twitter/X, [9/4/25]

- Wheeler reposted a video of Kennedy onFox & Friendsclaiming the CDC was hiding vaccine safety data from him. She wrote, “I wonder why?” Twitter/X, [9/7/25]

- The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles claimed the CDC “lost their credibility during COVID,” adding, “They lied to us about vaccines.” He continued, “They lied to us about the efficacy of the vaccine. They lied to us about the safety of the vaccine. They lied to us about everything regarding the vaccine.” The Daily Wire, *The Michael Knowles Show*, [9/2/25]

- Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty claimed, “Hundreds of millions of people were forced to get the vaccine” during the COVID pandemic, adding, “People have had adverse reactions to this vaccine we were told was safe that was forced upon us.” Newsmax, *Finnerty*, [9/4/25]

- TownHall writer Scott Morefield shared a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump in which he asked pharmaceutical companies to “justify the success of their various Covid Drugs,” adding, “This kind of spotlight on the efficacy of the mRNA jabs could cause the whole house of cards to come crashing down.” Morefield celebrated Trump’s post, stating, “I didn’t think Trump’s ego would ever allow him to do this, but he continues to pleasantly surprise me,” and ending with “Bravo!” Twitter/X, [9/1/25]

- Fox News host Jesse Watters questioned the vaccine recommendations for children, saying the “people at the CDC recommending it are at the CDC because the vaccine industry put them there,” and he accused senators of “blindly defending vaccine companies like it's their job.” Watters: “Why does a baby get 18 shots before they are 18 months old? It used to be eight — now it's 18. Why does a kid have 76 shots before they are old enough to vote? We never used to get that many, but the CDC recommends this. And the people at the CDC recommending it are at the CDC because the vaccine industry put them there. Maybe 76 is the right amount. Maybe it could be a little less or a lot less. We don't know. RFK is just trying to get a fresh set of eyes on it and look at the data. And senators are blindly defending vaccine companies like it's their job.” Fox News, *Jesse Watters Primetime*, [9/4/25]

- Watters suggested that people advocating for vaccinations are doing so to keep getting “pharma cash.” Watters: “If Kennedy isn’t recommending healthy 18-year-olds get COVID boosters, then there's less pharma cash to spread around to the politicians. If a baby gets eight vaccines instead of 18, less cash to spread around to the politicians. If doctors tell patients to eat healthy and exercise instead of get the fat shot, less cash to the politicians. Same thing with sex changes, diabetes medication, and antidepressants. Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics, some of their biggest donors — vaccine makers? Take the COVID vaccine. Nothing they said about the COVID vaccine turned out to be true.” Fox News, *Jesse Watters Primetime*, [9/4/25]

- Newsmax's Rob Schmitt described comments from senators questioning Kennedy as “enraged insults from politicians who have either been bribed to protect Big Pharma or those who have fully drunk their Kool-Aid.” Newsmax, *Rob Schmitt Tonight*, [9/4/25]

### Greg Gutfeld once denounced Donald Trump’s “antiscience point of view” on vaccines and autism

09/09/25 10:09 AM EDT

### Fox News championed anti-vaxxer RFK Jr. Now he’s killing research into next-generation vaccines.

08/11/25 9:56 AM EDT

### Right-wing media downplayed the likelihood of a measles outbreak. U.S. cases just reached a new high since the disease was eliminated.

07/09/25

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Attorney General Pam Bondi allegesan FBI field office is withholding thousands of documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The Independent reports. Bondi released documents on the case Thursday, but they did not contain any major revelations — and right-wing Donald Trump supporters allege the “evil deep state” is responsible for purportedly concealing information.

The documents that were released included flight logs, which had been made available previously in court cases, and his book of contacts, which has been in circulation for years. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. He was previously convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor.

“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents," Bondi wrote in a letter to FBI director Kash Patel. "Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein. Despite my repeated requests, the FBI never disclosed the existence of these files…There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access."

“If there are gaps, we will find them,” Patel said in a statement Thursday. “If records have been hidden, we will uncover them.”

“I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today” Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, posted on X. “A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein's phonebook. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR and a complete disappointment. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!”

“We’re talking recordings, evidence, etc," conservative commentator Liz Wheeler posted on X. "The juicy stuff. Names. These swamp creatures at SDNY deceived Bondi, Kash, and YOU. Be outraged that the binder is boring. You should be. Because the evil deep state LIED TO YOUR FACE."

“Be very, very angry that deep state agents in the swamp at the [Southern District of New York] are at this very moment defying President Trump & AG Bondi & you who voted him into office, lying, and hiding the truth about Jeffrey Epstein because they don’t want their own corruption & weaponization of govt exposed,” she added.

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck called the files a joke. “Who is subverting POTUS?" he posted on X. "The#Epsteinfiles are a total joke. I know Kash, Pam B and The President. This is not the file. WH tells me that they believe the usual suspects FBI/SDNY has the actual#EpsteinClientList and are refusing to turn it over. THIS IS AN INTERNAL CIVIL WAR if true."

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925 NOT MUCH TALK SNOPES SNIPE

Liz_Wheeler

Elizabeth Theresa Wheeler (born July 12, 1989) is an American conservative political commentator, author, and podcast host. From 2015 to 2020, she hosted One America News Network (OANN)'s Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler,^[1] where she was known for her finale segment, "Final Point".^[2] In 2019, Wheeler published her first book, Tipping Points: How to Topple the Left's House of Cards. In September 2020, Wheeler left OANN and currently hosts a podcast, The Liz Wheeler Show.

Career

In 2013, Wheeler at age 24 partnered with 13 other young conservatives to co-author and publish Young, Conservative, & Why It's Smart to Be Like Us.^[3] The book went to No. 2 on Amazon's Civics Books List.

On October 26, 2015, Wheeler was introduced as the host of the primetime talk show Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler, which aired weeknights at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT on One America News Network (OANN).^[1][4]

Wheeler spoke at Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2016.^[5] She speaks at Young America's Foundation events.^[6] In 2018, Wheeler was profiled by Politico magazine as a "titan" of conservative media alongside Ben Shapiro, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Tucker Carlson, Dana Loesch, and others. In the Politico profile, Wheeler said she chose a career in political media because: "We're at a point that we're replacing God with government. So, instead of debating theology, instead of debating family, we're looking at government and looking to politics for the answers—and that's why everyone is so obsessed with it."^[7]

In a 2018 segment on OANN, Wheeler falsely claimed that a proposed California bill would ban the sale of Bibles. Snopes determined that the claim was a misrepresentation; the bill actually targeted gay conversion therapy.^[8]

In 2019, Regnery Publishing published Wheeler's first book, Tipping Points: How to Topple the Left's House of Cards.^[9] In 2020, President Donald Trump issued a tweet encouraging his followers to "buy the book" and "give Liz great reviews."^[10]

In a May 2020 segment on OANN, Wheeler claimed that "mainstream media pretended there was a deadly surge in COVID cases" after the 2020 Wisconsin Spring election. PolitiFact rated the claim "Pants on Fire", having found that there were no references to a "surge" in their review of state and national articles about the election, and that reports had accurately listed the number of COVID-19 cases potentially related to the election.^[11] At OANN, Wheeler denounced Black Lives Matter protesters as "trained Marxists".^[12]

In September 2020, Wheeler announced her departure from OANN.^[13]

On May 25, 2021, Wheeler premiered her podcast, The Liz Wheeler Show.^[14] In an episode posted on June 30, 2021, Wheeler falsely claimed that a "peer reviewed, scientific study showed that the COVID-19 vaccine causes two deaths for every three lives it saves." The video was flagged by Facebook as part of its efforts to combat misinformation, and PolitiFact found that the MDPI Vaccines journal, which had published the study, had posted a notice raising serious questions about it two days prior to the episode being uploaded. The notice called the study's conclusions a "misrepresentation of the data" and stated that the authors' assertion that the deaths were caused by vaccination efforts was "incorrect and distorted".^[15][16][17]

In March 2022, Wheeler falsely claimed that hepatitis B vaccination in newborns was unsafe and unnecessary unless the mother was infected with the hepatitis B virus, and that the vaccine failed to prevent infection by the time vaccinated people became sexually active.^[18] In January 2023, following football player Damar Hamlin's in-game collapse, Wheeler promoted a conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 vaccine was responsible for a "surge" in athlete deaths and injuries.^[19]

Personal life

Wheeler is a practicing Roman Catholic.^[20] In September 2017, she married Daniel Moyer.^[21][22] They had their first child, a daughter, in February 2021.^[23] Their second daughter was born in April 2024.^[24]

References

Fisher, Marc (July 5, 2017). "An inside look at One America News, the insurgent TV network taking 'pro-Trump' to new heights". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017.
"Meet Liz Wheeler: The young American Right's next big thing". The Tab US. May 19, 2017. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
"Young, Conservative, and Why it's Smart to be like Us". goodreads.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
"One America News counts Trump as a fan. But the San Diego channel is fighting for millions more viewers". San Diego Union-Tribune. September 27, 2019. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
"Liz Wheeler Remarks at CPAC". c-span.org. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
"Liz Wheeler". Young America's Foundation. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
Mahaskey, M. Scott. "The New Conservative Media Establishment". POLITICO Magazine. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
MacGuill, Dan (April 20, 2018). "Fact Check: Would a Proposed Law 'Ban the Bible' in California?". Snopes. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
Liz Wheeler. "Tipping Points - How to Topple the Left's House of Cards". c-span.org. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
Trump, Donald J. (March 24, 2020). "Buy the book and give Liz some Great Reviews! @OANN". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
Litke, Eric (May 12, 2020). "No, the media did not "pretend there was a deadly surge in COVID cases" after Wisconsin election". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
"The meaning of One America News Network". The Economist. August 8, 2020. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022. Mr Ledger's show is followed by "Tipping Point", presented by Liz Wheeler, who denounces the "trained Marxists" of Black Lives Matter with a glare that could turn liberals to stone.
Soellner, Mica; Leonardi, Anthony (September 12, 2020). "Exclusive: Liz Wheeler, top One America News anchor, to leave network". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
"The Liz Wheeler Show". The Liz Wheeler Show. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
Kertscher, Tom (July 2, 2021). "Journal discredits study it published claiming a COVID-19 vaccine causes deaths". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
Oransky, Ivan (June 29, 2021). "Paper claiming two deaths from COVID-19 vaccination for every three prevented cases earns expression of concern". Retraction Watch. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
Wise, Jacqui (July 7, 2021). "Covid-19: Vaccines journal retracts controversial paper after editorial board members quit". BMJ. 374: n1726. doi:10.1136/bmj.n1726. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 34233897. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
Carballo-Carbajal, Iria (April 1, 2022). "Children under six are at a much higher risk of hepatitis B-related complications than adults; vaccination is very safe and effective at preventing infection and disease". Science Feedback. Health Feedback. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
Spencer, Saranac Hale (January 13, 2023). "No Surge in Athlete Deaths, Contrary to Widespread Anti-Vaccine Claims". FactCheck.org. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
Wheeler, Liz (November 6, 2015).. One America News Network. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021 – via YouTube.
"Delighted Liz Wheeler Engaged & Married, Young Age Dream Come True". Live Ramp Up. September 17, 2018. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
Richardson, Audrey (August 10, 2019). "Liz Wheeler – Controversy and the Mystery Husband!". Very Celeb. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
Wheeler, Liz (February 8, 2021). "She's arrived! It's a Lady Baby. 💕 God is so good". www.instagram.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.

Wheeler, Liz (April 17, 2024). "She's arrived! It's a baby sister. God is good". www.instagram.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.

External links

Liz Wheeler on X

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GGL 9 25

Liz Wheeler

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Liz_Wheeler

Elizabeth Theresa Wheeler (born July 12, 1989) is an American conservative political commentator, author, and podcast host. From 2015 to 2020, ...