Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has apologized after his son, Bobby Kennedy III, leaked a recording of him speaking to Donald Trump. The former president discusses childhood vaccinations with RFK Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic.
“I am a firm believer that these sorts of conversations should be had in public. Here’s Trump giving his real opinion to my dad about vaccinating kids — this was the day after the assassination attempt,” Bobby III wrote in a now-deleted social media post sharing his video of the call.
President Trump describes his conversation with Joe Biden after his shooting, how the bullet that struck him felt like “the world’s largest mosquito,” and how turning to reference a chart showing illegal immigration numbers saved his life.
Trump also discusses childhood vaccinations and his concerns about babies “starting to change radically” after receiving high-dose inoculations for multiple illnesses at once. He seems to suggest that RFK Jr. could have a role looking into the issue under a second Trump administration.
“When President Trump called me I was taping with an in-house videographer. I should have ordered the videographer to stop recording immediately,” RFK Jr. said in a statement on the leak.
He claims he is “mortified that this was posted,” adding, “I apologize to the president.”
Trump expresses concerns about babies “starting to change radically” post-vaccination in a call with RFK Jr. after he was shot. The call with Trump, who favors vaccines in “small doses,” was leaked by RFK Jr.’s son. Kennedy has apologized, saying he is “mortified” by the leak. pic.twitter.com/pacK8xireR
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) July 16, 2024
HISTORY.
Trump has expressed skepticism of childhood vaccinations in the past. He famously tweeted in 2014, “Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn’t feel good and changes – AUTISM. Many such cases!”
He was interrogated on these concerns during the GOP contest for the 2016 nomination. He made some of the same comments as he made to RFK Jr. on the debate stage.
“I am totally in favor of vaccines, but I want smaller doses over a longer period of time,” he said in a 2015 debate.
“Because you take a baby in—and I’ve seen it… You take this little beautiful baby, and you pump—I mean, it looks just like it’s meant for a horse, not for a child. And we’ve had so many instances, people that work for me. Just the other day, two years old, two-and-a-half years old, a child, a beautiful child, went to have the vaccine, and came back. And a week later got a tremendous fever, got very, very sick, now is autistic.”