For a more normal nominee in a more normal time, the exchange with Senator Cassidy where Kennedy showed he knows pretty much nothing about Medicare or Medicaid would have been disqualifying. Cassidy clearly suspected Kennedy was at sea on this stuff, and with a few seemingly anodyne questions let RFK Jr. establish it beyond a doubt.

Otherwise, though, Kennedy wriggled out of his prior outlandish statements as well as could be expected and made assurances he’d follow Trump’s lead on abortion.

As MBD notes below, Kennedy occupies a special place. He meaningfully contributed to Trump’s victory, so is more important to Trump than Matt Gaetz was. And he’s much less replaceable than Tulsi Gabbard. Trump could easily find someone else for DNI who is skeptical of the intelligence establishment and a Trump loyalist. But no one else besides RFK is a recognizable leader of MAHA — heck, he came up with the whole thing.

I continue to think making Kennedy the HHS secretary will end badly, but taking him down would be such a stark act of defiance by Senate Republicans it’s hard to see it happening.