CNN
—
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s son, Bobby Kennedy III, posted a video of a cellphone name between Kennedy and former President Donald Trump during which the previous president appeared to endorse false theories in regards to the security of vaccines.
Kennedy III posted a short video on social media Tuesday morning filming Kennedy Jr. as he listens to Trump converse on the cellphone. Kennedy III stated the video was taken on Sunday, the day after Trump was injured during a shooting at a marketing campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Kennedy III deleted the put up containing the video hours later.
Within the video, Trump could be heard discussing the quantity of doses of vaccines which are scheduled for youngsters, and urged that after taking a excessive quantity of vaccines, “you see the infant hastily beginning to change radically.”
“Whenever you feed a child, Bobby, a vaccination that’s, like, 38 completely different vaccines and it seems prefer it’s been for a horse. Not a, you realize, 10-pound or 20-pound child,” Trump says on the decision. “And then you definately see the infant hastily beginning to change radically. I’ve seen it too many occasions.”
Trump additionally appeared to specific some skepticism towards public well being professionals who precisely state the beneficial immunization schedule for youngsters is secure and efficient, saying, “And then you definately hear it doesn’t have an effect, proper?”
Kennedy Jr. apologized to Trump for the video of the cellphone name being launched after his son took the video down.
“When President Trump referred to as me, I used to be taping with an in-house videographer. I ought to have ordered the videographer to cease recording instantly. I’m mortified that this was posted. I apologize to the president,” Kennedy wrote on social media Tuesday.
When requested whether or not Trump knew he was being recorded, Trump’s advisers pointed CNN to Kennedy’s tweet, during which he stated a videographer was filming him for a separate venture.
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy marketing campaign, the Trump marketing campaign and the Biden marketing campaign for remark.
The cellphone name proven within the video got here sooner or later earlier than Trump and Kennedy met in Milwaukee. Kennedy marketing campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear instructed CNN the 2 presidential candidates mentioned “nationwide unity” throughout the assembly. A supply aware of the dialog stated the 2 additionally mentioned Trump’s vice presidential nomination determination hours earlier than he chosen Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his working mate.
In January 2017, earlier than Trump was inaugurated, Kennedy stated Trump had requested him to guide a fee to review vaccine security following a gathering between the 2 at Trump Tower in New York. The fee finally by no means materialized.
Trump appeared to reference the assembly within the clip of the cellphone name.
“You and I talked about that a very long time in the past,” Trump tells Kennedy on the decision.
Trump has lengthy entertained vaccine skepticism, however his stance towards vaccines has taken added political urgency after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made his dealing with of the Covid-19 pandemic a significant difficulty throughout the Republican major. Trump has stated he would defund any public college that enforces vaccine mandates. The coverage agenda on his marketing campaign web site questions the origins of “an unexplained and alarming progress within the prevalence of power sicknesses and well being issues, particularly in kids.”
As a candidate, Kennedy has repeatedly made false claims in regards to the security and efficacy of vaccines. He’s repeatedly criticized Trump for approving public well being restrictions throughout the pandemic and implementing a plan to speed up the event of a Covid vaccine. Kennedy usually makes an attempt to hyperlink Trump to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the previous director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses, who helped lead the US Covid response throughout the Trump and Biden administrations and has change into a focus of criticism from some on the suitable.
All vaccines which are permitted or licensed to be used in america have been confirmed secure and efficient by way of rigorous scientific research. Childhood vaccinations are particularly important as a result of they practice the physique’s immune system to acknowledge viruses it has not but been uncovered to, and shield the physique from the dangerous results of these viruses.
Extreme allergic reactions are exceedingly rare – occurring in roughly 1 in 1 million folks. Much more frequent are gentle unwanted effects, akin to ache or swelling on the injection web site, which are likely to subside rapidly.
Worldwide, vaccines forestall greater than 4 million deaths yearly, in line with the World Well being Group. And whereas there may be nonetheless no scientific consensus on what causes autism, vaccines, conclusively, don’t.
Trump additionally mentioned with Kennedy the taking pictures on Saturday, which left him wounded in his proper ear, and the cellphone name he obtained from President Joe Biden following the assassination try.
“He was very good truly. He referred to as and he stated, ‘How did you select to maneuver to the suitable?,” Trump says within the video of his name with Biden. “I stated, ‘I used to be simply exhibiting a chart.’ I didn’t have to inform him the chart was going all of the folks pouring into our nation, proper?”
“I simply turned my head to indicate the chart and one thing raps me,” he continues. “And it appears like an enormous, just like the world’s largest mosquito. And, uh, it was. It was a bullet.”
CNN’s Steve Contorno and Alayna Treene contributed to this report.