Last night, RFK Jr. hosted an odd livestream on Twitter where he visually inserted himself in a three panel shot with President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Adding to the awkwardness was the environmental lawyer’s decision to allow climate-denying reporter John Stossell as the host for “debate.”
For weeks, RFK Jr. railed against CNN after he failed to meet the criteria to appear on the debate stage, suggesting a criminal conspiracy that could result in imprisonment for decision-makers at CNN.
“RFK Jr. may not know it, but CNN did him a favor by not bending their rules to allow him on the debate stage. It would have offered more Americans to learn just how detached from reality and tethered to the Kremlin he really is,” said American Bridge 21st Century Presidential Campaigns Communications Director, Brandon Weathersby. “When he wasn’t repeating the same talking points as Vladimir Putin, he was lying about President Biden’s record and distorting facts – as if we don’t get enough of that from Donald Trump on a daily basis. RFK Jr. repeatedly praised and sided with the twice-impeached convicted felon ex-president, showing plainly, once again, he is not a serious candidate and his entire campaign is built to spoil the election.”
An awkward livestream debate wasn’t enough for RFK Jr., who also sat down for a rambling, conspiracy-filled interview with Dr. Phil which aired just hours before last night’s debate. RFK Jr. opened the interview by praising Donald Trump before rattling off numerous conspiracy theories, including that pesticides are turning people transgender, anxiety medication causes mass shootings, the National Institute of Health is working to enrich itself at the expense of public health, and that the COVID vaccine was the “deadliest” ever to be approved.
When RFK Jr. did touch on both domestic and foreign policy, his ideas were just as dangerous as his conspiracy theories. Over the course of the interview, he proposed forcing each American voter to own a photo ID to cast a ballot, came out against equitable policymaking, and said he would gut the defense budget to Eisenhower-era levels.
Lowlights from RFK Jr.’s debate night tantrum with Dr. Phil:
- Dr. Phil rattled off a list of RFK Jr.’s conspiracy theories to give RFK Jr. the chance to deny his repeated affirmations that he is, indeed, a conspiracy theorist. RFK Jr. didn’t. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. praised Dr. Phil’s interview with Donald Trump, saying it was the “best I’ve ever seen him.” Watch here.
- Dr. Phil called out RFK Jr.’s false claim that antidepressants cause school shootings. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. said his family disagrees with him on major issues and has a “very close relationship with President Biden.” Watch here.
- RFK Jr. falsely claimed that the major networks and cable news channels were conspiring against him, and that they wouldn’t allow him to do live or taped interviews. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. backed up his claim that “Democratic-oriented networks” weren’t giving him airtime by recalling that, in 2014, the now-disgraced and always-archconservative Roger Ailes – who he noted was “always very supportive” of him – refused to let him promote an anti-vaccine documentary on Fox News. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. regurgitated his attacks on the National Institutes of Health and, when an incredulous Dr. Phil asked why no one else was talking about it, RFK Jr. said anyone who did would be barred from mainstream media and “censored on YouTube.” Watch here (before it’s “censored.”)
- RFK Jr. said ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine should have been allowed to be used to treat COVID-19. (Except that they do not actually treat COVID-19.) Watch here.
- RFK Jr. admitted that the data he used to say the COVID-19 vaccines were deadly did not, in fact, say that. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. fed into election denialism by saying that voting “machines can be hacked” and there was a problem with election integrity because people claim there is a problem with election integrity. He also said Hillary Clinton claimed the election was stolen from her in 2020, when she, um, didn’t run. Watch here.
- RFK Jr., who has always been against public schools and public education, said only “charter schools and school choice” could save American education. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. said he wanted to cut the defense budget in half because American adversaries like Russia and China did not have that many foreign bases. Watch here.
- RFK Jr. said he was “deadset” against efforts to make institutions more diverse and inclusive. Watch here.
Published: Jun 28, 2024 | Last Modified: Jul 17, 2024