20, 24 SPECIAL IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INSTITUTE OF POLITICS. CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE AND NOW ROBERT F KENNEDY JR. HELLO AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE SERIES. I'M ADAM SEXTON AND OUR GUEST IS DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ROBERT F KENNEDY JR. WE'LL BE GETTING TO KNOW MR. KENNEDY AND WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES AT THE START OF OUR SHOW. I'LL BE ASKING THE CANDIDATES SOME QUESTIONS. AND THEN AFTER A BREAK, WE'LL HAVE OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR QUESTIONS IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT. BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN WITH THAT, LET'S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE CANDIDATE'S BIOGRAPHY. ROBERT F KENNEDY JR SAYS HE HAS CARRIED ON HIS FAMILY'S LEGACY OF PUBLIC SERVICE BY DEVOTING HIMSELF TO ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES AND CHILDREN'S WELFARE. HE WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE, THE WORLD'S LARGEST CLEAN WATER ADVOCACY GROUP. IT WAS CHIEF LITIGATION COUNSEL FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH DEFENSE, WHICH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, ADVOCATES IN THE VACCINE RESISTANCE MOVEMENT. KENNEDY IS ALSO AN AWARD WINNING WRITER, INCLUDING TWO NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLERS 2005 CRIMES AGAINST NATURE AND 2021 THE REAL ANTHONY FAUCI. HE SAYS HIS CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT IS FIGHTING FOR PROGRESSIVE ISSUES, STOPPING WHAT HE CALLS THE RIGGING OF THE SYSTEM AND THE WAR AGAINST AMERICA'S MIDDLE CLASS. KENNEDY GRADUATED FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY. HE STUDIED AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND EARNED HIS LAW DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. HE IS MARRIED TO ACTRESS CHERYL HINES. THE COUPLE HAS SEVEN CHILDREN, INCLUDING KENNEDY'S SIX CHILDREN FROM TWO PREVIOUS MARRIAGES. ROBERT F KENNEDY, JR IS THE THIRD OF 11 CHILDREN OF THE LATE SENATOR ROBERT KENNEDY. MR. KENNEDY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE. WE APPRECIATE HAVING YOU HERE. HAPPY TO BE BACK HERE WITH YOU, ADAM. SO WHEN IT COMES TO CAMPAIGN POLITICS, THE KENNEDY NAME STANDS FOR SOMETHING, THE FIGHT FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE, THE FIGHT AGAINST RACIAL INJUSTICE, AND ALSO YOUTH ENGAGEMENT. THOSE THEMES COULDN'T BE BIGGER IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY RIGHT NOW. A BIG PLUS FOR YOUR CANDIDACY. YOU ALSO HAVE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN BASICALLY SAYING TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, POUND SAND, I'M GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY, THE FIRST IN THE NATION TRADITION THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR 100 YEARS. REPORTEDLY, HE'S NOT GOING TO CAMPAIGN HERE OR PUT HIS NAME ON THE BALLOT. SO REALLY, THE TABLE COULDN'T BE ANY MORE BEAUTIFULLY SET FOR A CANDIDATE JUST LIKE YOU. AND YET, RATHER THAN FOCUSING INTENTLY ON PROGRESSIVE VOTERS HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, WE SEE YOU TALKING ABOUT THINGS AND ENGAGING WITH AUDIENCES THAT MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY WIN YOU OVER. THE MOST DEMOCRATIC VOTES HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. SO WHY NOT FOCUS LIKE A LASER ON THOSE KENNEDY THEMES RATHER THAN GETTING SIDETRACKED ON OTHER ISSUES? WELL, I'VE BEEN I THINK I'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON THE THEMES THAT THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS REPRESENTED. YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY, I WOULD SAY, THE THEME THAT I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT AT MY SPEECH AT SAINT SIMMONS COLLEGE ON PEACE, WHICH IS THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MY UNCLE, PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S FAMOUS SPEECH AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAS, I THINK, THE COUNTRY REALLY WENT INTO A BAD DIRECTION AFTER PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S DEATH, WHICH IS THAT ALL OF HIS SUCCESSORS, YOU KNOW, HE STEADFASTLY RESISTED SENDING COMBAT TROOPS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD DURING THE THOUSAND DAYS THAT HE WAS IN OFFICE. HE DID SEND 16,000 MILITARY ADVISERS TO VIETNAM. HE WAS HIS MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS WERE BEGGING HIM TO SEND 250,000 COMBAT TROOPS. HE REFUSED. HE REFUSED TO GO INTO LAOS. HE REFUSED TO GO INTO BERLIN. HE REFUSED TO GO INTO CUBA A MONTH BEFORE HE DIED IN OCTOBER OF 63, HE HEARD THAT ONE OF THE GREEN BERETS HAD BEEN KILLED IN VIETNAM. OF THOSE ADVISERS. AND HE ASKED ONE OF HIS AIDES FOR A LIST OF COMBAT CASUALTIES. AND THERE WERE 75. AND WHEN HE READ THAT, HE SAID THAT'S TOO MANY AMERICANS DYING IN VIETNAM. THAT'S THEIR WAR. AND THAT DAY, HE SIGNED A NATIONAL SECURITY ORDER TO 63, ORDERING ALL TROOPS FROM VIETNAM. A MONTH LATER, HE WAS KILLED. A WEEK AFTER THAT, PRESIDENT JOHNSON DEMANDED THAT ORDER. WE ENDED UP SENDING 560,000 TROOPS THERE, 56,000 NEVER CAME BACK, INCLUDING MY COUSIN GEORGE SKAKEL, WHO DIED IN THE TET OFFENSIVE AND MILLIONS OF AT LEAST A MILLION VIETNAMESE WERE KILLED AFTER MY UNCLE'S DEATH. ALL OF HIS SUCCESSORS AND ENDED UP SENDING COMBAT TROOPS ABROAD IN THE ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES WAS ALWAYS A PEACEMAKER IN THE WORLD, AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, WHICH WAS THE PARTY OF PEACE, KIND OF DISAPPEARED. AND NOW, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY RECENT AND DURING THIS ADMINISTRATION, WE BECOME THE PARTY OF THE NEOCONS AND, YOU KNOW, OF A VERY BELLIGERENT AND VIOLENT FOREIGN POLICY THAT IS NOT ONLY DESTROYING, ERODING OUR MORAL AUTHORITY AROUND THE WORLD, BUT IT IS IT IS BANKRUPTING THE MIDDLE CLASS IN OUR COUNTRY. WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES ALSO THAT'S KEEPING YOU ESSENTIALLY FROM THAT BASE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY? IS YOUR HISTORY OF ANTI-VACCINE ACTIVISM, MEDICAL COMMUNITY, THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT CONSIDERS YOU A DANGEROUS PURVEYOR OF VACCINE, MISINFORMATION AND A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH IS SAYING THE LOS ANGELES TIMES HAS THAT AS A HEADLINE. SO ULTIMATELY, THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL MAKE UP THEIR MIND ABOUT THIS. THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE MEASURE OF YOU AS A CANDIDATE AND A PERSON, YOUR VIEWS, YOUR POLICY POSITIONS. MY QUESTION IS THIS IF YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT, HOW DOES VACCINE POLICY CHANGE AND WE KNOW THIS IS MORE OF A STATE BY STATE ISSUE, BUT HOW AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL WILL YOU BRING YOUR VIEWS TO BEAR AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? IT IS A FEDERAL ISSUE BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS AND APPROVES NEW VACCINES. AND I ONLY ARGUMENT, I'VE NEVER BEEN ANTI-VACCINE. I'M CALLED ANTI-VACCINE BECAUSE THAT'S A WAY OF KIND OF MARGINALIZING AND DISCREDITING ME IN THE VIEW OF THE PUBLIC. BUT I'VE NEVER HAD ALL MY CHILDREN VACCINATED. I WAS FULLY VACCINATED AND I'VE NEVER BEEN ANTI-VACCINE. BUT WHAT I'VE SAID IS I'M PRO-SCIENCE AND PRO SAFETY AND WE OUGHT TO SUBJECT VACCINES WHICH ARE MANDATED FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN, NOT FOR SICK PEOPLE. WE WE OUGHT TO SUBJECT THEM TO AT LEAST THE KIND OF RIGOROUS, PLACEBO CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT ARE MANDATED FOR EVERY OTHER MEDICINE. IT'S THE ONLY MEDICINE THAT'S EXEMPT FROM RELICENSING, SAFETY TRIALS, AND NONE OF THE VACCINES THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON A 70, YOU KNOW, GOT THREE SHOTS A KID MY MY KIDS GOT 72 SHOTS, WHICH ARE NOW, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY MANDATED FOR AMERICAN CHILDREN. AND NONE OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO PRE LICENSING SAFETY TRIALS. AND AND WHAT I WOULD DO IS SAY, LET'S DO THE TRIALS, LET'S FIND OUT WHAT THE RISK PROFILE IS WITH THE BENEFIT PROFILE IS AND THEN ALLOW PARENTS TO MAKE UP THEIR MINDS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THEY WANT TO WHETHER THEY WANT TO USE VACCINE GENES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. EACH OF THOSE VACCINES, THAT OUGHT TO BE A FREE CHOICE. ALL RIGHT, MR. KENNEDY, ENOUGH QUESTIONS HERE. LET'S GET TO THAT TOWNHALL AUDIENCE OUT IN STUDIO B COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, WE'LL BRING OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE INTO THE CONVERSATION. STAY WITH US

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a 2024 presidential hopeful, shares views on top issues in town hall event

Conversation with the Candidate

Updated: 11:00 PM EDT Jun 23, 2023

Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president, touched on a number of topics recently in a "Conversation with the Candidate" town hall event in New Hampshire.Watch the full conversation in the video player above or the links below. Included is a 30-minute, online-only portion of the conversation:Watch Part 1: Kennedy speaks on his anti-vaccine viewsWatch Part 2: Kennedy says he supports abortion rightsWatch online exclusive: Kennedy weighs in on nuclear energy Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle. Learn more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s background Kennedy says he has carried on his family's legacy of public service by devoting himself to environmental causes and children's welfare.He was the founder of the Waterkeeper Alliance, the world's largest clean water advocacy group and was chief litigation counsel for Children's Health Defense, which, among other things, advocates for what it calls the vaccine resistance movement.Kennedy is also an award-winning writer, including two New York Times bestsellers, 2005's "Crimes Against Nature" and 2021's "The Real Anthony Fauci."He said his campaign for president is fighting for progressive issues, stopping what he calls the "rigging of the system" and the "war against America's middle class."Kennedy graduated from Harvard University, studied at the London School of Economics and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia.He is married to actress Cheryl Hines. The couple has seven children, including Kennedy's six children from two previous marriages.Kennedy is the third of 11 children of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy. See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Kennedy speaks on his anti-vaccine viewsWatch Part 2: Kennedy says he supports abortion rightsWatch online exclusive: Kennedy weighs in on nuclear energyKennedy shares what he saw at southern border crossingKennedy was asked during the town hall portion of the event about his views on the immigration crisis, and he spent time sharing what he saw when he visited the southern U.S. border. He said the night he visited the border, he believes about 600 to 800 people crossed into the U.S. illegally. "No country can survive if it can’t control its borders," Kennedy said.Kennedy said it's his view that drug cartels in Mexico play a major role in the immigration crisis. See more of his answer in the video player below:Kennedy harkens back to father's 1968 presidential bid in discussing how to unify countryA voter asked the Democrat about how he feels his campaign could potentially help unite the country, and he spent much of his answer recalling his father's 1968 campaign for president. U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy Sr. was shot on June 5, 1968, and died the following day. He won the California and South Dakota presidential primaries earlier that week as he built a campaign to challenge same-party incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy said his father, too, faced a divided nation when he ran for president. "My dad had faced the same thing when he ran for president against the sitting president of his own party. The same as I'm doing," Kennedy said. "You know, my father ... succeeded in uniting the country."Kennedy remarked his father's wins right before his death were in the country's most urban and most rural states."He had succeeded in bridging that gap. This was at a time that was almost as polarized as we are today," Kennedy said.Kennedy recalled being with his father when he died and the country's response to the death in the days that followed, including an anecdote about what he saw while riding in a train from New York City to Washington, D.C., with his father's remains. "There were two and a half million people along that train track. And they were the entire cross-section of the American experience. When we went through the urban train stations, we crawled through at two miles an hour, through Newark, Trenton, Wilmington, Baltimore. There were Black faces, tens of thousands of them singing the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic.' In the countryside, there were whites, there were Catholics, there were rabbis, there were priests," Kennedy said. See his full answer in the video below:See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Kennedy speaks on his anti-vaccine viewsWatch Part 2: Kennedy says he supports abortion rightsWatch online exclusive: Kennedy weighs in on nuclear energyOther "Conversation with the Candidate" events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.

Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running for president, touched on a number of topics recently in a "Conversation with the Candidate" town hall event in New Hampshire.

Watch the full conversation in the video player above or the links below. Included is a 30-minute, online-only portion of the conversation:

Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.

Learn more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s background

Kennedy says he has carried on his family's legacy of public service by devoting himself to environmental causes and children's welfare.

He was the founder of the Waterkeeper Alliance, the world's largest clean water advocacy group and was chief litigation counsel for Children's Health Defense, which, among other things, advocates for what it calls the vaccine resistance movement.

Kennedy is also an award-winning writer, including two New York Times bestsellers, 2005's "Crimes Against Nature" and 2021's "The Real Anthony Fauci."

He said his campaign for president is fighting for progressive issues, stopping what he calls the "rigging of the system" and the "war against America's middle class."

Kennedy graduated from Harvard University, studied at the London School of Economics and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia.

He is married to actress Cheryl Hines. The couple has seven children, including Kennedy's six children from two previous marriages.

Kennedy is the third of 11 children of the late U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy.

See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:

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Kennedy shares what he saw at southern border crossing

Kennedy was asked during the town hall portion of the event about his views on the immigration crisis, and he spent time sharing what he saw when he visited the southern U.S. border.

He said the night he visited the border, he believes about 600 to 800 people crossed into the U.S. illegally.

"No country can survive if it can’t control its borders," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said it's his view that drug cartels in Mexico play a major role in the immigration crisis.

See more of his answer in the video player below:

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Kennedy harkens back to father's 1968 presidential bid in discussing how to unify country

A voter asked the Democrat about how he feels his campaign could potentially help unite the country, and he spent much of his answer recalling his father's 1968 campaign for president.

U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy Sr. was shot on June 5, 1968, and died the following day. He won the California and South Dakota presidential primaries earlier that week as he built a campaign to challenge same-party incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Kennedy said his father, too, faced a divided nation when he ran for president.

"My dad had faced the same thing when he ran for president against the sitting president of his own party. The same as I'm doing," Kennedy said. "You know, my father ... succeeded in uniting the country."

Kennedy remarked his father's wins right before his death were in the country's most urban and most rural states.

"He had succeeded in bridging that gap. This was at a time that was almost as polarized as we are today," Kennedy said.

Kennedy recalled being with his father when he died and the country's response to the death in the days that followed, including an anecdote about what he saw while riding in a train from New York City to Washington, D.C., with his father's remains.

"There were two and a half million people along that train track. And they were the entire cross-section of the American experience. When we went through the urban train stations, we crawled through at two miles an hour, through Newark, Trenton, Wilmington, Baltimore. There were Black faces, tens of thousands of them singing the 'Battle Hymn of the Republic.' In the countryside, there were whites, there were Catholics, there were rabbis, there were priests," Kennedy said.

See his full answer in the video below:

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See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:

Other "Conversation with the Candidate" events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.