President Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., spoke this week at a conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the organization he once chaired, Children’s Health Defense, which is known for anti-vaccine advocacy.
During his appearance, Kennedy said his department was “looking into chemtrails and the impact of emissions,” which drew applause from the audience. He added, “Emissions from aircraft and those potential impacts on health.”
[NOTE: “Chemtrail” is short for chemical trail, a term used by people who believe that the white trails left behind airplanes are deliberate sprays of chemicals or biological agents for purposes like weather control.]
Retired U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath responded to Kennedy’s comment, writing: “Oh my. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is investigating ‘chemtrails.’ So apparently it’s time for some middle-school science: Jets fly high. It’s REALLY cold up there. Hot, moist exhaust hits cold air. The water condenses and freezes into tiny ice crystals. That white trail behind the airplane? It’s called a contrail. We’ve known how this works for a very long time.”
Oh my. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is investigating “chemtrails.”
So apparently it’s time for some middle-school science:
Jets fly high. It’s REALLY cold up there. Hot, moist exhaust hits cold air. The water condenses and freezes into tiny ice crystals.
That… https://t.co/JOZzmOewdD
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) September 17, 2026
[NOTE: Trump’s EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said last year that he had his agency “compile a list of everything we know about contrails and geoengineering” and made the information — which debunked the “chemtrail theory” — available online.]
Still, Zeldin’s information didn’t upend belief in the chemtrail theory entirely, as Kennedy’s recent remarks — and their reception — revealed.
Kennedy’s 2024 presidential running mate, billionaire Nicole Shanahan, has also challenged the government’s account of atmospheric spraying and geoengineering and released a divergent report containing information she said was provided to her by a whistleblower. Shanahan shared her view in a post she titled “The Dark MAHA Report on Geoengineering” with the subtitle “Who’s Behind It and How We Stop It.”
The EPA says it plans to release information on geoengineering. I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from a whistleblower as well. pic.twitter.com/5bUj7K0rbx
— Nicole Shanahan (@NicoleShanahan) July 10, 2025