'Excuse me?' CNN's Jake Tapper hammers RFK Jr. over 'very confusing and ahistoric' remarks

CNN host Jake Tapper delivered a takedown of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

Kennedy, who has been nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, was questioned about his refusal to trust science that he disagreed with.

Tapper highlighted Kennedy's attempt to change the entirety of his anti-vaccine advocacy by saying that all of his children are vaccinated and "I've written many books on vaccines."

"But there's plenty of evidence in Kennedy's own words to suggest he is anti-vaccine — at least, not pro-vaccine — at least 20 years of this," said Tapper.

Tapper brought the receipts, showing RFK Jr. on the "Lex Friedman Podcast" in July 2023, in which Kennedy was asked if there are any vaccines he likes. Kennedy said that those vaccines are causing more problems.

"There is no vaccine that is safe and effective," said Kennedy on the podcast.

"Excuse me?" Tapper questioned. "That seems pretty cut and dry. But today, when questioned about this specific statement, Kennedy blamed it on the interviewer. The interviewer cut him off when he was going to say that there was no vaccine that is safe and effective for every person."

"Hum, okay," Tapper said with speculation. He noted that even if that's what Kennedy meant to say, there's even more proof.

He showed Kennedy's interview with Joe Rogan in June about the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. In that case, Kennedy said the flu was a "vaccine-induced flu." He claimed that all of the "samples from thousands of people" showed that most of the people who died didn't die of "bacteriological pneumonia."

Pneumonia is often a result of having the flu, a cold, COVID-19, RSV, or even strep throat, according to the American Lung Association.

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"This is very, very confusing and ahistoric," said Tapper, explaining that the so-called Spanish Flu came from an H1N1 virus, not a vaccine. "Not to mention, the flu vaccine and antibiotic treatments weren't even available in 1918. The first license for a wide-use flu vaccine wasn't until 1945. According to the space-time continuum, 1918 is before 1945."

Tapper showed a moment in which Kennedy realized he may have gotten in over his head when he told Rogan later in the interview, "I don't remember enough about it."

Tapper repeated the comments, "'I shouldn't talk about this, Joe.' Words to live by, Mr. Kennedy."

He showed a clip of Kennedy being forced to face a onesie from his own organization's website for babies, bragging about being unvaccinated. Kennedy refused to respond to questions about whether he agreed with his own organization, saying only he wasn't anti-vaccine.

"If the onsie fits," Tapper quipped.

See the video below or at the link here.

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