RFK Jr admits he has ‘perception problem’ as he defends conspiracy theories and insists famed family still ‘loves’ him
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Robert F Kennedy, Jr, mounted a passionate defense of his independent campaign in an interview with Dr Phil aired on Thursday, even as he was left off the debate stage.
The environmental lawyer, the son of former US Attorney General and presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy, said he stood by his many controversial positions, often described as conspiracy theories, and downplayed the strident public dissapproval many of his famous family members have for his campaign.
“Yeah, I have a perception problem, particularly in the mainstream media,” Kennedy told Dr Phil.
Ultimately, however, he said still supported claims such as insisting federal health officials had compromised motives for approving the Covid vaccines.
The conversation came amid the wider context of Kennedy being left off the presidential debate stage, where Donald Trump and Joe Biden were set to face off in Atlanta on Thursday evening.
Kennedy also said he respected the decision of 15 members of the Kennedy family, including his siblings, to support the Biden campaign.
“I love my family, I feel loved by my family and I feel like I can argue with them in a way that is congenial,” Kennedy said. “I wish we could have civil debate again without hating each other.”
Amid the defenses of his campaign, Kennedy outlined a few proactive policy proposals, such as encouraging charter schools, reinstating paper ballots to guard against election interference, and ending the Ukraine war by negotiating with Vladimir Putin to limit the influence of Nato.
Despite starting on the back foot, and missing out on the more high-profile media appearance of the evening, Kennedy insisted he was still in a strong position.
He pointed to polls showing both Biden and Trump are the least-liked pair of major party presidential candidates in at least three decades.
“I’m in a position no independent has been in history,” Kennedy said, insisting in a head-to-head race he’d beat Donald Trump and vanquish Joe Biden by a “landslide.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
