Podcast Summary: Rick Wilson's The Enemies List

Episode: "RFK Jr.'s Making Disease 'Popular' Again"
Release Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Rick Wilson/Black Pearl Studios

Episode Overview

In this fiery episode, Rick Wilson takes aim at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who, in Wilson’s words, has become the “Secretary of Witchcraft and Necromancy” under Donald Trump’s administration as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The core focus is the resurgence of preventable diseases in the United States, directly tied to vaccine skepticism and anti-vaccine policies, which Wilson attributes to RFK Jr.’s influence on public health messaging and federal policy.

Wilson’s tone is urgent, sarcastic, and at times outright furious, as he castigates Kennedy and the broader anti-vaccine movement for jeopardizing American public health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. RFK Jr., Vaccine Skepticism, and the Federal Government

• Wilson’s “Enemies List” features RFK Jr. at the top, accused of making old diseases (like measles) "popular again" by promoting dangerous misinformation about vaccines.
• Kennedy is mocked as being in charge of a "Department of Witchcraft and Necromancy" rather than Health and Human Services.
  • Quote: “Robert F. Kennedy is on the enemies list this week because across the country, but particularly right now, today in the state of South Carolina, there are hundreds of cases of measles infecting children and adults.” [01:55]
• Wilson traces an outbreak of measles in South Carolina to the alarming rise in vaccine hesitancy, which he sees as fueled by Kennedy’s public stance.

2. Distortion of Scientific Consensus

• Wilson addresses a recent change on the CDC’s vaccine safety webpage implying a link between infant vaccines and autism—a statement introduced by political appointees rather than medical experts.
  • Quote (Citation from CBS segment): “No autism or vaccine experts from the CDC were consulted and the change was made by political appointees.” [03:32]
• Wilson emphasizes that the infamous 1998 Lancet study linking vaccines to autism was debunked and retracted, with mountains of evidence disproving any vaccine-autism link.

3. Consequences of Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric

• Wilson warns that diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, and polio—previously eradicated or controlled—are on the verge of returning due to plummeting vaccination rates.
  • Quote: “We are now facing the reality that measles and mumps and rubella and a host of other diseases that are easily treatable are going to come back and cause torture in the lives of children.” [05:20]
• He lists and ridicules alternative remedies, stating none can prevent diseases like measles except vaccines.
• Directs blame at both right-wing (“MAGA”) and a segment of left-wing “woo woos” for fostering anti-vax sentiment.

4. Historical Achievements of Vaccines

• The episode praises vaccines as a triumph of civilization, highlighting smallpox as an example of a disease eradicated through universal vaccination.
  • Quote: “Vaccinations are a major achievement of our civilization. We do not have smallpox...because we had global universal vaccination against smallpox.” [06:55]

5. RFK Jr.’s Personal and Financial Motivations

• Wilson accuses Kennedy and his law firm of profiting from anti-vaccine litigation and creating false narratives for monetary gain.
  • Quote: “Robert F. Kennedy's law firm and Robert F. Kennedy himself are in the business of suing vaccine companies. They've made it all up. Their attacks on vaccinations are a lie.” [13:30]

6. Dire Warnings and Hyperbolic Rhetoric

• Wilson describes RFK Jr. as “the greatest serial killer in American history” for his anti-vaccine crusade.
  • Quote: “Robert F. Kennedy is the greatest serial killer in American history. He wants to end vaccination in this country.” [09:30]
• Predicts the return of polio and other diseases, blaming RFK Jr. for future suffering and child mortality.
  • Quote: “When kids are paralyzed, when kids are on iron lungs, a few years from now, you will know where it came from. You will know it was Robert F. Kennedy who did that.” [11:55]
• Suggests, in outrage, that parents who refuse to vaccinate based on Kennedy’s rhetoric should have their children taken away and be “sent to reeducation camps.” [15:50]

7. Concerns About MNRA Vaccine Research

• Wilson warns that the anti-vaccine lobby is targeting not only childhood vaccines but also threatens to halt vital mRNA research with immense potential in treating diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s.
  • Quote: “They're trying to stop all MNRA vaccine research and MNRA research generally. It is the single most promising avenue of things to, like, I don't know, customized cancer treatments...” [14:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He is a lunatic. He's a madman. If you're not vaccinating your kids because of something Robert F. Kennedy...said about vaccines, you do not deserve to have your children. You are a danger to them and to society.” [16:20]
• “He is the most dangerous member of the Trump administration by an order of magnitude.” [15:25]
• “Vaccinations are a triumph of Western civilization. They are a glorious achievement.” [13:55]

Important Timestamps

• [01:55] – Rick Wilson introduces RFK Jr. as “not a favorite” for the Enemies List and connects him to the resurgence of measles.
• [03:32] – Covering the CDC autism/vaccine controversy and media reaction.
• [05:20] – Outlining the threat posed by renewed outbreaks due to vaccine resistance.
• [06:55] – Celebrating the historic victory over smallpox via universal vaccination.
• [09:30] – Brands RFK Jr. as the “greatest serial killer in American history.”
• [11:55] – Prediction and warning about the coming return of polio.
• [13:55] – Declaration of vaccines as a civilization-defining triumph.
• [14:55] – The threat to mRNA vaccine and research innovation.
• [15:50] – Extreme suggestion regarding parents who refuse vaccination.

Tone & Delivery

Wilson’s delivery is both biting and bombastic, blending sarcasm, exasperated humor, and righteous indignation. He does not mince words—using hyperbole and metaphor to paint Kennedy and his allies as both villains and dangers to society. His language is direct and unapologetically hostile toward the anti-vaccine movement.

Conclusion

This episode delivers a blistering indictment of RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine influence, tying it directly to dangerous public health backsliding. Through a mix of historical context, current events, and fervent rhetoric, Wilson condemns both the politicians and citizens enabling the return of vaccine-preventable diseases, warning grimly of the consequences if the anti-vaccine tide is not reversed.

Final Words:
“Robert F. Kennedy is very much in the highest pantheon of the enemies list, and there he will remain.” [17:00]