In interviews with Howie Mandel and his daughter Jaclyn Schultz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s knowledge and calm shine through – even as his motives and integrity are questioned. Kennedy remains respectful and eager for open, honest debate — traits he said he learned as a child.
“I grew up in an environment where we were taught to argue with each other every night [and] Hold opinions passionately,” Kennedy said.1 Kennedy, who is now running for president, said he is popular among under-35s, women with children under 18 and other key groups, but not yet among baby boomers.
“They don’t like me because they get their news from TV. People who get their news from TV are going to have a low opinion of me because, you know, the TV networks are unanimous against me.”2
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy was a regular guest on CNN, MSNBC and other outlets until he began making controversial comments. He has since come under intense scrutiny, but his desire to tell the truth to the American people has prevailed.
Kennedy shares the realities of war in Ukraine
The United States’ intervention in the Ukrainian conflict shows that it is unwilling to give up its imperialist tendencies. But censorship suppresses any public discussion that goes against the official narrative of the war in Ukraine.
Mainstream media have made it clear that the war in Ukraine is the result of an unprovoked and unjustified invasion, but it has a history. Russia has long been very clear that it would not allow Ukraine to join NATO because of the simple fact that it would have a NATO military presence on its borders. Russia hopes that Ukraine will continue to be an independent “buffer zone” between itself and NATO countries.
“The entire Russian leadership is appalled by the idea of NATO entering Ukraine, just as we would not allow Russia to establish bases in Mexico or Canada,” Kennedy said.3 Instead of promoting peace, the United States has promoted the escalation of conflict in a war that is not really about defending democracy.
“Eisenhower gave this extraordinary speech—perhaps we should consider it the most important speech in American history—in which he warned of the emergence of the U.S. military-industrial complex that would transform our model democracy overseas. Empire, with its endless wars and surveillance state.”4
Lies about COVID-19 vaccinations
Mandel tried to label Kennedy an “anti-vaxxer,” but again he shared the facts of his stance on vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine. “If you show me a safe and effective vaccine that does what it’s supposed to do, I won’t have any problem,” Kennedy said.5
“I think the problem with vaccines, I think, is a problem that every American would have if they knew the truth, which is that vaccines are the only medical products that are exempt from safety testing,” he said.6 Although they are tested for efficacy, they lack safe ingredients:7
“The FDA requires Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 efficacy testing before licensure… They don’t require safety testing… If a vaccine protects you from COVID-19 but increases your risk of heart attacks A 500% increase, then it’s effective against COVID-19, but it’s not safe.”
Kennedy said he didn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine because “I read the safety study, and the Pfizer study showed… 23% more [deaths] More people are vaccinated than unvaccinated. “8 Mandel, meanwhile, tried to say health officials never said the COVID-19 vaccine could prevent COVID-19, but Kennedy provided several examples that prove that statement is wrong. Software Engineer Chief Nerd tweeted:9
“Howie Mandel is trying to rewrite the history of COVID-19 vaccines and immediately gets educated by RFK Jr. Howie: ‘They never said you couldn’t get COVID-19.’ RFK JR: ‘I saw a tape yesterday and they all said that Say…can I play it for you? Howie: “Well, blah blah blah…it doesn’t matter what Rachel Maddow says. “
The real reason why doctors aren’t treating COVID-19?
Kennedy’s 2021 book “The Real Anthony Fauci” became a bestseller, selling more than 1 million copies despite unprecedented scrutiny. He describes a nefarious alliance of forces—intelligence agencies, pharmaceutical companies, social media giants, medical bureaucracies, mainstream media, and the military—taking advantage of the health crisis to impose totalitarian control around the world.
He shared how COVID-19 lockdowns have resulted in the closure of 3.3 million businesses, many of which will not be able to reopen. Kennedy said 41% of Black-owned businesses that closed during the pandemic went bankrupt permanently, “many of which have three generations of ownership.”
Additionally, $4 trillion was transferred from the American middle class to the new billionaire oligarchy.10 At the same time, the government is fining those who spend time outdoors while refusing to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals, which defies all common sense and reason. Kennedy shared the underlying motivation:11
“They’re not treating people. This is the first time in history that a respiratory illness – if you go to the hospital with the flu, they give you something for all your symptoms – they don’t say anything [for COVID]. Why do they do this? …
Because there is a little-known federal law that makes it illegal to grant emergency use authorization for a vaccine for a target disease if an existing drug has been approved for any purpose and has been shown to be effective against that disease. “
Regulatory capture puts Americans at risk
Kennedy noted that vaccines are one factor in the epidemic of chronic disease and autism in children, but there are many others. He started by mentioning atrazine, glyphosate, forever chemicals and high fructose corn syrup, as well as cell phone radiation. But while public health agencies conduct research on drugs and vaccines, they do not study the root causes of the chronic diseases Americans face:12
“Today all our children are swimming in toxic soup, and we have a public health agency – the National Institutes of Health [National Institutes of Health] — that was once the world’s premier public health agency. Its annual budget is $42 billion. It distributes the money to 56,000 scientists at research institutions and universities. We should conduct research to protect public health. Why isn’t anyone doing research to find out what causes these epidemics?
… If you try to do this research, you will be professionally punished for it, and the NIH will not fund it. What they will fund is… research into drugs to treat food allergies. They will fund research into drugs to treat asthma, but they will not study what causes asthma, and the data is there. “
Kennedy described the situation as “agency capture on steroids,” citing the example of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which gets 50 percent of its budget from pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) holds thousands of drug patents, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spends $4.9 billion of its $12 billion budget each year to purchase and distribute vaccines.
“It’s the largest vaccine company in the world,” Kennedy said. The NIH actually owns half of the patent on Moderna’s COVID-19 shot.13 Additionally, he said, “If you’re a scientist at the NIH and you’re working on a product and then turning it into a drug, you get to keep $150,000 a year in royalties on that product. And the NIH gets to keep 50% royalties.”14
Democracy has been subverted because most government agencies have been taken over by the industries they were supposed to regulate because they no longer serve the American people. They work for large corporations that continually put profits over safety. But lawyer Kennedy said that as president, he could step in and fix these corrupt institutions overnight:15
“I know how to fix these institutions. When you sue these institutions, you get a Ph.D. on how to unravel them. I know many of the individuals in these institutions who created this problem. I’ve sued the NIH, the CDC, the FDA, the EPA, FCC [Federal Communications Commission]. I just won an appeals court case against the FCC for lying to the public about cell phone radiation and its dangers.
Now, I represent a thousand families in East Palestine, Ohio, whose lives have been forever changed by the Norfolk Southern oil spill. This is all due to institutional capture that causes leaks to occur.This is a direct oversight on the part of DOT [Department of Transportation]. I know how to solve these problems. I’m going out there and fixing them overnight. “
Kennedy’s response to the housing crisis – give everyone a “rich uncle”
Kennedy also spoke of the housing crisis as young people and the middle class are increasingly excluded from the American dream. The perfect storm of rising interest rates and high home prices has driven many people out of the market.16
But there are other factors at play, including record low inventoriesnumber 17 Competition from corporate investors, who purchase homes for cash about 75% of the time.18 Kennedy said he has a solution that would level the playing field and make homeownership more accessible:19
“I have an extensive plan about how we’re going to get this generation of kids into their own homes…Home prices have gone from $215,000 two years ago to $400,000 today. Interest rates have gone from 3% to almost 8%…
I’m going to propose a law that would penalize large corporations, large investment firms that own multiple single-family homes so that they no longer make a profit. This will free up a lot of housing back onto the market.
…Now kids are competing with BlackRock’s bankbooks, so…what I’m going to do is issue a new class of…interest rates to people who are buying single-family homes, especially young and young adults… % of Treasury bills. Teachers, I will fund this project by issuing these Treasury bills. I will issue a mortgage at 3% interest rate…
You know, if you have a rich uncle to co-sign your mortgage, you can get a better rate because the bank’s interest rate is not based on your poor credit rating, but on your uncle’s excellent credit rating. I’m going to give everybody a rich uncle – all these young people – and that’s Uncle Sam, and that’s going to guarantee your mortgage so you can get 3 percent interest. “
If you would like to support Kennedy’s campaign for President of the United States, be sure to visit TeamKennedy.com. For the latest information on the litigation in which Kennedy is involved, subscribe to the CDH newsletter The Defender at childrenshealthdefense.org.