Key facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted that constitutional rights supersede public health concerns.
- He dismissed studies supporting COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.
- Kennedy blamed COVID-19 lockdowns for the current measles outbreak.
- He vouched for the efficacy of measles vaccines.
- Kennedy alluded to unsubstantiated claims linking Tylenol consumption during pregnancy to autism.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted during a CNN interview that constitutional rights take precedence over public health mandates. When pressed by host Jake Tapper on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, Kennedy dismissed supporting studies as "nonsense" and accused Tapper of "scaring people." Kennedy also attributed the current measles outbreak not to vaccine hesitancy, but to COVID-19 lockdowns, stating that children did not receive vaccinations during that period. When challenged to vouch for measles vaccines, Kennedy did so, but later appeared to echo unsubstantiated claims linking Tylenol consumption during pregnancy to autism, a point that visibly annoyed Tapper.