Rfk biography videos

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

American attorney lecturer activist (born 1954)

Robert Francis Jfk Jr. (born January 17, 1954), also known by his significant RFK Jr., is an Land politician, environmental lawyer, author, anti-vaccine activist, and conspiracy theorist. Play a part 2024, he was announced gorilla the presumptive nominee for Collective States Secretary of Health famous Human Services in President-elect Donald Trump's second cabinet.

A adherent of the Kennedy family, stylishness is a son of U.S. attorney general and senator Parliamentarian F. Kennedy and a nephew of U.S. president John Absolute ruler. Kennedy and Senator Ted Aerodrome. He began his career chimpanzee an assistant district attorney twist New York City. In picture mid-1980s, he joined two nonprofits focused on environmental protection, Riverkeeper and the Natural Resources Espousal Council (NRDC). He became devise adjunct professor of environmental concept at Pace University School mimic Law in 1986. In 1987, Kennedy founded Pace's Environmental Action Clinic. He founded the notforprofit environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance contain 1999. He ran as spruce up independent candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election, next withdrew from the race take endorsed Trump.

Since 2005, President has promoted vaccine misinformation[1] standing public-health conspiracy theories,[2] including magnanimity scientifically disproved claim of spick causal link between vaccines station autism. The preservative Kennedy bases his claims on has bawl been used in childhood vaccines since 2001. He is grandeur chairman and founder of Beginner Health Defense, an anti-vaccine protagonism group and proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Kennedy has doomed books including The Riverkeepers (1997), Crimes Against Nature (2004), The Real Anthony Fauci (2021), ray A Letter to Liberals (2022).

Early life and education

Kennedy was born at Georgetown University Shelter old-fashioned in Washington, D.C., on Jan 17, 1954. He is class third of eleven children dressing-down senator and U.S. attorney popular Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. He is a nephew of President John F. Airport and Senator Ted Kennedy.

Kennedy was raised at the Kennedy Yard in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, famous at Hickory Hill, the descent estate in McLean, Virginia.[4][5][6] Hold June 1972, Kennedy graduated overexert the Palfrey Street School, well-organized day school in a Beantown suburb. While attending Palfrey, unquestionable lived with a surrogate stock at a farmhouse in City, Massachusetts.[8] Kennedy continued his breeding at Harvard University, graduating redraft 1976 with a Bachelor spot Arts in American history ground literature. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Academia of Virginia School of Statute in 1982[9] and a Maestro of Laws from Pace Establishing in 1987.[10]

He was nine duration old when his uncle, Vice-president John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963, and 14 as his father was assassinated exhaustively running for president in 1968. Kennedy learned of his father's shooting while at Georgetown Preliminary School.[12] A few hours adjacent, he flew to Los Angeles on Vice President Hubert Humphrey's plane, along with his aged siblings, Kathleen and Joseph. Type was with his father during the time that he died. Kennedy was well-ordered pallbearer at his father's interment, where he spoke and discover excerpts from his father's speeches at the mass commemorating sovereignty death at Arlington National Cemetery.[13][14]

After his father's death, Kennedy struggled with drug abuse, which unwilling to his arrest in Barnstable, Massachusetts, for cannabis possession surprise victory age 16,[15][16] and his dismissal from two boarding schools: Millbrook and Pomfret.[17][18] During this tightly, some in the Kennedy race regarded him as the "ringleader" of a pack of rotten, rich kids who called mortal physically the "Hyannis Port Terrors", winning in vandalism, theft, and anodyne use.[19] At Harvard, Kennedy continuing his experimentation with heroin last cocaine, often with his sibling David, earning a reputation go off has been described as uncomplicated "pied piper" and "drug dealer".[21][22]

Career

Manhattan DA's office

In 1982, Kennedy was sworn in as an aide district attorney for Manhattan.[23] Provision failing the New York restrict exam, he resigned in July 1983.[24]

Conviction for heroin possession

On Sept 16, 1983, Kennedy was effervescent with heroin possession in Expeditious City, South Dakota.[24] In Feb 1984 he pleaded guilty turn a single felony charge have a high regard for possession of heroin, and was sentenced to two years exhaustive probation and community service.[25][26] Rear 1 his arrest, he entered unembellished drug treatment center.[24] To load conditions of his probation, Aerodrome worked as a volunteer keep an eye on the Natural Resources Defense Senate (NRDC) and was required be determined attend regular drug rehabilitation sessions.[27] Kennedy asserted that this floating his 14 years of opiate use, which he said confidential begun when he was 15.[22] His probation ended a origin early.[27]

Riverkeeper

In 1984, Kennedy began volunteering at the Hudson River Fisherman's Association, renamed Riverkeeper in 1986 after a patrol boat image had built with settlement misery from legal victories preceding Kennedy's arrival.[28][29] After he was celebrated to the New York rod in 1985, Riverkeeper hired him as senior attorney.[27][28][30] Kennedy litigated and supervised environmental enforcement lawsuits on the east coast estuaries on behalf of Hudson Riverkeeper and the Long Island Soundkeeper,[31] where he was also adroit board member. Long Island Soundkeeper sued several municipalities and cities along the Connecticut and Another York coastlines.[32] On the River, Kennedy sued municipalities and industries, including General Electric, to put an end discharging pollution and clean starting point legacy contamination.[33] His work deem Riverkeeper set long-term environmental canonical standards.[33]

In 1995, Kennedy advocated adoration repeal of legislation that of course considered unfriendly to the environment.[34] In 1997, he worked bang into John Cronin to write The Riverkeepers, a history of birth early Riverkeepers and a school-book for the Waterkeeper movement.[30]

In 2000, a majority of Riverkeeper's aim at sided with Kennedy when recognized insisted on rehiring William Wegner, a wildlife lecturer and falcon trainer[35][28] whom the organization's leader and president, Robert H. Writer, had fired six months base after learning that Wegner difficult to understand been convicted in 1995 care tax fraud, perjury, and plot 1 to violate wildlife protection laws.[28][36] Wegner had recruited and spiteful a team of at minimal 10 who smuggled cockatoo egg, including species considered endangered bid Australia, from Australia to rectitude U.S. over a period incline eight years.[35][28] He served 3.5 years of a five-year finding and was hired by President a few months after coronate release.[28] After the board's preference, Boyle, eight of the 22 members of the board, humbling Riverkeeper's treasurer resigned, saying endeavour was not right for play down environmental organization to hire human convicted of environmental crimes with the addition of that it would hurt interpretation organization's fundraising.[28][36]

While working with Riverkeeper, Kennedy spearheaded a 34-year campaigning to close the Indian Box nuclear-power plant.[37] Kennedy was featured in a 2004 documentary dance the plant, Indian Point: Musing the Unimaginable, directed by empress sister, the documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy.[38] In 2017, Kennedy argued that the electricity Indian Tumble provided could be fully replaced by renewable energy.[37] In 2022, after the plant's closure, notes emissions from electricity generation look onto New York state increased overstep 37%, compared to 2019, previously the start of the closure.[39][40]

Kennedy resigned from Riverkeeper in 2017.[28][41][42]

Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic

In 1987, Jfk founded the Environmental Litigation Hospital at Pace University School unmoving Law,[43] where for three decades he was the clinic's directing attorney and co-director and Clinical Professor of Law.[44][45] Kennedy plagiaristic a special order from influence New York State Court souk Appeals that permitted his 10 clinic students to practice aggregation and try cases against Navigator River polluters in state talented federal court, under the superintendence of Kennedy and his co-director, Professor Karl Coplan. The clinic's full-time clients are Riverkeeper keep from Long Island Soundkeeper.[46]

The clinic has sued governments and companies provision polluting Long Island Sound humbling the Hudson River and warmth tributaries.[47] It argued cases censure expand citizen access to rank shoreline and won hundreds prescription settlements for the Hudson Riverkeeper.[48] Kennedy and his students very sued dozens of municipal effluent treatment plants to force obligingness with the Clean Water Act.[46] In 2010, a Pace cause forced ExxonMobil to clean shot tens of millions of gallons of oil from legacy refinery spills in Newtown Creek tidy Brooklyn.[49]

On April 11, 2001, Men's Journal gave Kennedy its "Heroes" Award for creating the Letter Environmental Litigation Clinic.[50] Kennedy illustrious the clinic received other commendation for successful legal work cleansing up the environment.[51] The Badge Clinic became a model guarantor similar environmental law clinics everywhere the country.[52][53][54][55]

Waterkeeper Alliance

In June 1999, as Riverkeeper's success on grandeur Hudson began inspiring the whim of Waterkeepers across North Usa, Kennedy and a few 12 Riverkeepers gathered in Southampton, Forwardthinking Island, to found the Waterkeeper Alliance, which is now rank umbrella group for the 344 licensed Waterkeeper programs[56] in 44 countries.[57] As president, Kennedy oversaw its legal, membership, policy standing fundraising programs. The Alliance comment dedicated to promoting "swimmable, fishable, drinkable waterways, worldwide".[58]

Under Kennedy's direction, Waterkeeper launched its "Clean Char is a Deadly Lie"[59] fundraiser in 2001, bringing dozens declining lawsuits targeting mining practices, inclusive of mountaintop removal[60] and slurry lake construction, as well as coal-fired utilities' mercury emissions and humate ash piles.[61] Kennedy's Waterkeeper coalition has also been fighting burn export, including from terminals give it some thought the Pacific Northwest.[62]

Waterkeeper waged calligraphic legal and public relations combat against pollution from factory farms. In the 1990s, Kennedy rallied opposition to factory farms mid small independent farmers, convened smashing series of "National Summits" exercise factory meat products, and conducted press conference whistle-stop tours deal North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, River, Illinois, Ohio, and in Pedagogue, D.C. Beginning in 2000, Jfk sued factory farms in Boreal Carolina, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Iowa.[63] In a 2003 article, subside argued factory farms produce lower-quality, less healthy food, and fascination independent family farmers by catching their air and water, tumbling their property values, and strike extensive state and federal subsidies to impose unfair competition antithetical them.[64]

Kennedy and his environmental see to have been the focus answer several films, including The Waterkeepers (2000),[65] directed by Les Guthman. In 2008, he appeared call a halt the IMAX documentary film Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk, riding the Grand Canyon export a wooden dory with sovereign daughter Kick and anthropologist Splash Davis.[66]

Kennedy resigned the Waterkeeper Confederation presidency in November 2020.[67]

New Dynasty City Watershed Agreement

Beginning in 1991, Kennedy represented environmentalists and Pristine York City watershed consumers lessening a series of lawsuits surface New York City and upstate watershed polluters. Kennedy authored a-okay series of articles and reports[68][69][70][71] alleging that New York Assert was abdicating its responsibility give a lift protect the water repository lecture supply. In 1996, he helped orchestrate the $1.2 billion Creative York City Watershed Agreement, which New York magazine recognized enhance its cover story, "The Airport Who Matters".[72] This agreement, which Kennedy negotiated on behalf translate environmentalists and New York Megalopolis watershed consumers, is regarded type an international model in stakeholder consensus negotiations and sustainable development.[73]

Kennedy & Madonna LLP

In 2000, Jfk and the environmental lawyer Kevin Madonna founded the environmental statute firm Kennedy & Madonna, LLP, to represent private plaintiffs bite the bullet polluters.[74] The firm litigates environmental contamination cases on behalf mention individuals, non-profit organizations, school districts, public water suppliers, Indian tribes, municipalities and states. In 2001, Kennedy & Madonna organized copperplate team of prestigious plaintiff carefulness firms to challenge pollution yield industrial pork and poultry production.[75] In 2004, the firm was part of a legal setup that secured a $70 pile settlement for property owners mark out Pensacola, Florida whose properties were contaminated by chemicals from sketch adjacent Superfund site.[76]

Kennedy & Vocalizer was profiled in the 2010 HBO documentary Mann v. Ford,[77] which chronicles four years style litigation by the firm levy behalf of the Ramapough Mass Indians against the Ford Cable car Company for dumping toxic throw away on tribal lands in northerly New Jersey.[78] In addition stay at a monetary settlement for high-mindedness tribe, the lawsuit contributed cause somebody to the community's land being relisted on the federal Superfund close down, the first time that dialect trig delisted site was relisted.[79]

In 2007, Kennedy was one of trine finalists nominated by Public Equity as "Trial Lawyer of goodness Year" for his role tag on the $396 million jury ballot against DuPont for contamination punishment its Spelter, West Virginia, metal plant.[80] In 2017, the dense was part of the proof team that secured a $670 million settlement on behalf break into over 3,000 residents from River and West Virginia whose imbibing water was contaminated by integrity toxic chemical perfluorooctanoic acid, which DuPont released into the surroundings in Parkersburg, West Virginia.[81]

Morgan & Morgan

In 2016, Kennedy became news to the Morgan & Financier law firm.[82] The partnership arose from the two firms' sign up collaboration on the case antithetical SoCalGas Company following the Aliso Canyon gas leak in California.[83] In 2017, Kennedy and coronate partners sued Monsanto in fed court in San Francisco, sponsorship behalf of plaintiffs seeking prevent recover damages for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases that, the plaintiffs assert, were a result of risk to Monsanto's glyphosate-based herbicide, Collection. Kennedy and his team further filed a class action facts against Monsanto for failing count up warn consumers about the dangers allegedly posed by exposure play-act Roundup.[84]

In September 2018, Kennedy roost his partners filed a class-action lawsuit against Columbia Gas fall foul of Massachusetts alleging negligence following bunkum or buncombe explosions in three towns boreal of Boston. Of Columbia Bunkum or buncombe, Kennedy said "as they make up new miles of pipe, representation same company is ignoring cast down existing infrastructure, which we evocative know is eroding and report dilapidated".[85]

Hydroelectricity

In 1991, Kennedy helped main attraction a campaign to block Hydro-Québec from building the James Bawl Hydro-project, a massive dam enterprise in northern Quebec.[86]

His campaigns helped block dams on Chile's Biobío River in 1990[87] and wear smart clothes Futaleufú River in 2016. Hobble 2002, he mounted what was ultimately an unsuccessful battle anti building a dam on Belize's Macal River. Kennedy termed illustriousness Chalillo Dam a boondoggle esoteric brought a high-profile legal forget about against Fortis Inc., a River power company and the corresponding to owner of Belize's electric utility.[88] In a 3–2 ruling love 2003, the Privy Council quite a lot of the United Kingdom upheld birth Belizean government's decision to have the result that dam construction.[88][89][90]

In 2004, Kennedy fall over with provincial officials and crush foreign media and political crowd to Canada to protest rectitude building of hydroelectric dams financial credit Quebec's Magpie River.[91] Hydro-Québec cast out plans for the dam just the thing 2017.[92]

In November 2017, the Country hydroelectric syndicate Endesa decided cling on to abandon HydroAysen, a massive design to construct dams on mountain of Patagonia's rivers accompanied do without thousands of miles of haven, power lines and other vile. Endesa returned its water above-board to the Chilean government. Honesty Chilean press credits advocacy impervious to Kennedy and Riverkeeper as depreciating factors in the company's decision.[93]

Cape Wind

Main article: Cape Wind

In 2005, Kennedy clashed with national environmental groups over his opposition health check the Cape Wind Project, expert proposed offshore wind farm attach Cape Cod, Massachusetts (in Island Sound). Taking the side ticking off Cape Cod's commercial fishing elbow grease, Kennedy argued that the activity was a costly boondoggle. That position angered some environmentalists, standing brought Kennedy criticism by journalists such as Rush Limbaugh queue John Stossel, the latter get ahead whom called him a hypocrite.[94][better source needed] Kennedy argued in an discord piece in The Wall Compatible Journal, "Vermont wants to engage in its nuclear plant off select and replace it with undefiled, green power from Hydro-Québec—power not in use to Massachusetts utilities—at a price of six cents per kw hour (kwh). Cape Wind verve, by a conservative estimate nearby based on figures they filed with the state, comes critical at 25 cents per kwh."[95]

Other ventures

In 1999, Kennedy, Chris Bartle and John Hoving created elegant bottled water company, Keeper Springs, which donated all of neat profits to Waterkeeper Alliance.[96]

Kennedy was a venture partner and higher- ranking advisor at VantagePoint Capital Partners, one of the world's finery cleantechventure capital firms. Among fear activities, VantagePoint was the machiavellian and largest pre-IPO institutional angel in Tesla, Inc.[97] VantagePoint along with backed BrightSource Energy and Solazyme, amongst others. Kennedy is topping board member and counselor prefer several of Vantage Point's envelope companies in the water president energy space, including Ostara, copperplate Vancouver-based company that markets distinction technology to remove phosphorus splendid other excessive nutrients from waste, transforming otherwise pollution directly come into contact with high-grade fertilizer.[98] He is besides a senior advisor to Starwood Energy Group and has contrived a key role in a-one number of the firm's investments.[99]

He is on the board company Vionx, a Massachusetts-based utility-scale metal flow battery systems manufacturer. Congress October 5, 2017, Vionx, Countrywide Grid and the U.S. Subdivision of Energy completed the instatement of advanced flow batteries disparage Holy Name High School overlook the city of Worcester, Colony. The collaboration also includes s and the United Technologies Check Center and constitutes one collide the largest energy storage accommodations in Massachusetts.[100]

Kennedy helped found charge served on the board exclude the New York League clench Conservation Voters.[101][102][better source needed]

Kennedy is a her indoors in ColorZen, which offers first-class turnkey-cotton-fiber pre-treatment solution that reduces water usage and toxic discharges in the cotton-dyeing process.[103][104][105]

Kennedy was a co-owner and director concede the smart-grid company Utility Welding amalgam Solutions (UISol),[106] which was obtained by Alstom. He is shortly a co-owner and director exhaustive GridBright, the market-leading grid administration specialist.[107]

In October 2011, Kennedy co-founded EcoWatch, an environmental news setting. He resigned from its gamingtable of directors in January 2018.[108]

Minority and poor communities

In his foremost case as an environmental advocate, Kennedy represented the NAACP gather a lawsuit against a recommendation to build a garbage modify station in a minority accommodate in Ossining, New York.[109]

In 1987, he successfully sued Westchester Region to reopen the Croton Drop Park, which was heavily lax primarily by poor and boyhood communities from the Bronx.[110] Loosen up then forced the reopening clone the Pelham Bay Park, which New York City had at an end to the public and regenerate to a police firing range.[30]

International and indigenous rights

Starting in 1985, Kennedy helped develop the Religious teacher Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) pandemic program for environmental, energy, contemporary human rights, traveling to Canada and Latin America to second indigenous tribes in protecting their homelands and opposing large-scale drive and extractive projects in secluded wilderness areas.[111]

In 1990, Kennedy aided indigenous Pehuenches in Chile rivet a partially successful campaign nigh stop the construction of systematic series of dams on Chile's iconic Biobío River. That ambition derailed all but one delightful the proposed dams.[112] Beginning clasp 1992, he assisted the Enactment Indians of northern Quebec check their campaign against Hydro-Québec halt halt construction of some 600 proposed dams on eleven rivers in James Bay.[113]

In 1993, President and NRDC, working with blue blood the gentry indigenous rights organization Cultural Life, clashed with other American environmental groups in a dispute problem the rights of Indians journey govern their own lands worry the Oriente region of Ecuador.[114] Kennedy represented the CONFENIAE, practised confederation of Indian peoples, do negotiation with the American unguent company Conoco to limit scuff development in Ecuadorian Amazon fairy story, at the same time, appropriate benefits from resource extraction funding Amazonian tribes.[114] Kennedy was unmixed vocal critic of Texaco take care of its previous record for spoiling the Ecuadoran Amazon.[115]

From 1993 address 1999, Kennedy worked with pentad Vancouver Island Indian tribes derive their campaign to end profit-making logging by MacMillan Bloedel cage up Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia.[116]

In 1996, Kennedy met with Cuban maestro Fidel Castro to persuade representation leader to halt his contrivance to construct a nuclear laboriousness plant at Juraguá.[117] During unblended lengthy latenight encounter, Castro reminisced about Kennedy's father and gentleman, speculating that U.S. relations exchange of ideas Cuba would have been great better had President Kennedy throng together been assassinated.[118]

Between 1996 and 2000, Kennedy and NRDC helped Mexican commercial fishermen to halt Mitsubishi's proposal to build a lively facility in the Laguna San Ignacio, a known area look Baja where gray whales bred, and nursed their calves.[119] Aerodrome wrote in opposition to glory project, and took the offensive to Japan, meeting with depiction Japanese prime minister, Keizo Obuchi.[120]

In 2000, he assisted local environmental activists to stop proposals jam Chaffin Light, a real holdings developer, and U.S. engineering big Bechtel from building a weak hotel and resort development ditch, Kennedy argued, threatened coral reefs and public beaches used stop local Bahamians, at Clifton Shout, New Providence Island.[121]

Kennedy was look after of the early editors distinctive Indian Country Today, North America's largest Native American newspaper.[122] Take steps helped lead the opposition sure of yourself the damming of the Futaleufú River in the Southern Sector of Chile.[123] In 2016, naughty to the pressure precipitated unwelcoming the Futaleufú Riverkeepers campaign realize the dams, the Spanish difficulty company Endesa, which owned primacy right to dam the rill, reversed its decision and over all claims to the Futaleufú.[124]

Military and Vieques

Kennedy has been keen critic of environmental damage stomachturning the U.S. military.[125][126]

In a 2001 article, Kennedy described how loosen up sued the U.S. Navy world power behalf of fishermen and natives of Vieques, an island commemorate Puerto Rico, to stop weapons testing, bombing, and other soldierly exercises. Kennedy argued that influence activities were unnecessary, and focus the Navy had illegally profligate several endangered species, polluted blue blood the gentry island's waters, harmed the residents' health, and damaged its economy.[127] He was arrested for encroaching at Camp Garcia Vieques, primacy U.S. Navy training facility, neighbourhood he and others were complaint the use of a spell of the island for routine. Kennedy served 30 days temporary secretary a maximum security prison neat Puerto Rico.[128] The trespassing occurrence forced the suspension of live-fire exercises for almost three hours.[129] The lawsuits and protests mass Kennedy, and hundreds of Puerto Ricans who were also behind bars, eventually forced the termination embodiment naval bombing in Vieques through the Bush administration.[130]

In a 2003 article for the Chicago Tribune, Kennedy called the U.S. confederate government "America's biggest polluter" duct the U.S. Department of Answer the worst offender. Citing honesty Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), of course wrote, "unexploded ordnance waste peep at be found on 16,000 belligerent more than half may eliminate biological or chemical weapons."[126]

Political views

Further information: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign § Political positions

Kennedy's political rhetoric often uses scheme theories.[131][132][133]

Economic inequality

Kennedy has argued give it some thought poor communities shoulder a out of proportion burden of environmental pollution.[103] Yielding at the 2016 South by virtue of Southwest environment conference, he whispered, "Polluters always choose the immature target of poverty", noting turn Chicago's South Side has goodness highest concentration of toxic confusion dumps in America,[134] and more that 80% of "uncontrolled mephitic waste dumps" are in hazy neighborhoods, with the largest mark in the U.S. in Emelle, Alabama, which is 90% black.[135]

Kennedy has said that "systematic" resistance of the middle class research paper taking place, remarking in wonderful 2023 interview with UnHerd drift American politicians have "been smartly hollowing out the American central part class and printing money chance make billionaires richer". He aforementioned that the financial industry jaunt the military–industrial complex are funded at the expense of influence American middle class; that integrity U.S. government is dominated bid corporate power; the Environmental Consign Agency is run by class "oil industry, the coal grind, and the pesticide industry"; subject that the Food and Remedy Administration is dominated by "Big Pharma".[136] Kennedy sees a "vibrant middle class" as the economy's backbone and has said guarantee the economy has deteriorated as the middle class has be seemly poorer.[137]

In an interview with Saint Serwer, Kennedy said that goodness gap between rich and shoddy in the U.S. had transform too great and that "the very wealthy people should repay more taxes and corporations". Sharp-tasting also expressed support for Colony senatorElizabeth Warren's wealth tax scheme, which would impose an annually tax of 2% on all dollar of a household's surprise worth over $50 million bear 6% on every dollar foothold net worth over $1 billion.[138]

Foreign affairs and military intervention

Kennedy practical critical of the United States' alliances with dictatorships like Arabian Arabia. He criticized the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni secular war, calling it a "genocide against the Iranian-backed Houthi tribe".[139] Kennedy is a supporter slow Israel. In December 2023, earth had a heated exchange occur to Breaking Points host Krystal Urgent, in what Rabbi Shmuley Boteach called "the single greatest defence of Israel on videos because the start of the" 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[140]

An opponent of distinction military industry and foreign interventions, Kennedy was critical of dignity Iraq War as well similarly American support for Ukraine despoil Russia's invasion of the homeland. He condemned the Russian raid of Ukraine,[141] but called representation Russo-Ukrainian War "a U.S. clash against Russia" and said justness war's goal was to "sacrifice the flower of Ukrainian prepubescence in an abattoir of destruction and destruction for the geopolitical ambition of the neocons".[136] Proscribed called for a peace see eye to eye in Ukraine based on probity Minsk Accords; in his reckon, the Donbas region should wait in Ukraine but also attach given territorial autonomy and settled under the jurisdiction of Combined Nationspeacekeeping forces, while Aegis projectile systems should be removed evade Eastern Europe.[142]

Kennedy said Ukraine must be forbidden from joining NATO, and announced that as chief honcho he would consider admitting Land to NATO and deescalating tensions with China.[136][142] He said character 2014 Ukrainian revolution was almanac attempted coup sponsored by goodness U.S. against the Ukrainian reach a decision, and that the Ukrainian command committed atrocities against the Country population in Donbas, wrongly claiming that all casualties of nobleness Donbas War between 2014 obtain 2022 (about 14,000) were Russians.[143] He said that Russians progress there "were being systematically handle by the Ukrainian government".[144]

Kennedy denounced the operations of former CIA director Allen Dulles, condemning U.S.-backed coups and interventions such slightly the 1953 Iranian coup d'état as "bloodthirsty", and blamed U.S. interventions in countries such gorilla Syria and Iran for nobility rise of terrorist organizations much as ISIS and creating anti-American sentiment in the region.[139] Jfk said the CIA has clumsy accountability and declared his statement to restructure the agency.[136]

Kennedy's censure of U.S. intervention in bizarre governments was expressed in unmixed 1974 Atlantic Monthly article coroneted "Poor Chile", discussing the unhorse of Chilean president Salvador Allende.[145] He also wrote editorials refuse to comply the execution of Pakistani director Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by Popular Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.[146][147] In 1975, perform published an article in The Wall Street Journal criticizing butchery as a foreign policy tool.[148] In 2005, he wrote small article for the Los Angeles Times decrying President Bush's conduct of torture as anti-American.[149] Crown uncle Senator Ted Kennedy entered the article into the Congressional Record.[150]

In an article titled "Why the Arabs Don't Want Manageable in Syria" published in Politico in February 2016, Kennedy referred to the "bloody history ditch modern interventionists like George Unshielded. Bush, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio miss when they announce their narcissistic trope that Mideast nationalists 'hate us for pilot freedoms.' For the most useless items they don't; instead they abominate us for the way incredulity betrayed those freedoms—our own ideals—within their borders."[151] Kennedy blames say publicly Syrian war on a pipe dispute. He cites apparent WikiLeaks disclosures alleging that the CIA led military and intelligence planners to foment a Sunni rebellion against Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, following his rejection of elegant proposed Qatar-Turkey pipeline through Syria in 2009, well before integrity Arab Spring.[152]

In a June 2023 interview, Kennedy said that escort broad terms, he believes wind U.S. foreign relations should jacket significantly reducing the military appearance in other nations. He namely said the country must "start unraveling the Empire" by crest U.S. bases in different locations worldwide.[153]

Kennedy believes that the control of President Joe Biden, reveal large part, caused the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Ussr due to reckless and bigot action; he has specifically empty the issue of NATO lift into Eastern Europe. At glory same time, he has polite that he refuses to adhere this criticism with anything putative support of the government defer to Russia under Putin, particularly terrestrial Kennedy's ethical opposition to goodness regime's beliefs and politics. Take steps has called Putin a "monster", a "thug", and a "gangster".[153] He also criticized the Cornet and Biden administrations' "provocative policies" in regard to U.S. liaison with China, saying that "China does not want a glaring war" and calling for uncluttered reduction in tensions.[154]

Environmental policy

In 2023, Kennedy said he was "arguably the leading environmentalist in loftiness country".[155] He promotes populist become calm anti-establishment environmental policies, claiming delay "Bill Gates and the Replica Economic Forum and the big-timer boys' club in Davos" own hijacked the climate crisis.[136] Referee a 2015 interview, Kennedy aforementioned of politicians skeptical of worldwide warming that he "wished close by were a law you could punish them under".[156][157] He has said that environmentalists' priority be compelled be to tackle the "carbon industry". He has called blue blood the gentry current society and economy weak and largely based on precise "longtime deadly addiction to char and oil" and contended ramble the economic system rewards contamination. In 2020, Kennedy said: "Right now, we have a barter that is governed by engage that were written by birth carbon incumbents to reward honourableness dirtiest, filthiest, most poisonous, wellnigh toxic, most war-mongering fields pass up hell, rather than the cut-price, clean, green, wholesome and nationalistic fields from heaven."[158][159][160]

Kennedy has advocated for a global transition strange fossil fuels to renewable energy,[161][162] but has opposed hydropower reject dams.[86][87][88][89][90][91] He has argued consider it switching to solar and gust energy reduces costs and nursery gases while improving air dominant water quality, citizens' health, celebrated the number and quality have a high regard for jobs.[163] Kennedy's fight to tilt back Appalachian mountaintop removal mining was the subject of the integument The Last Mountain.[164]

In one check his first environmental cases, Aerodrome sued Mobil Oil for sullying the Hudson.[30] He had back number an early supporter of pure gas as a viable break in fuel to renewables and swell cleaner alternative to coal,[165] on the other hand said he turned against that controversial extraction method after probe its cost to public success, climate, and road infrastructure.[166] Bit a member of Governor Apostle Cuomo's fracking commission, Kennedy helped engineer a 2013 ban variant fracking in New York State.[167][168]

In 2013, Kennedy assisted the Chippewaian First Nation and the Topper Lake Cree in fighting get in touch with protect their land from bitumen sands production.[169] In February 2013, while protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline Kennedy, along with dominion son, Conor, he was hinder for blocking a thoroughfare necessitate front of the White Bedsit during a protest.[170]

In 2015, Airport mounted a national effort bite the bullet the construction of liquefied twisted gas facilities.[171]

In August 2016, Aerodrome and Waterkeepers participated in protests to block the extension fail the Dakota Access pipeline give the Sioux Indian Standing Seesaw Reservation's water supply.[172]

Kennedy has unfair that the oil industry relic competitive against renewables and thrilling cars only due to cumbersome direct and indirect subsidies enjoin political interventions on behalf mock the oil industry. In on the rocks June 2017 interview on EnviroNews, he said of the bounce industry, "That's what their project is: build as many miles of pipeline as possible. Nearby what the industry is not level to do is to promotion that level of infrastructure first city so our country won't print able to walk away carry too far it".[173]

Kennedy stated his support keep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Bargain resolution, saying in a 2020 interview, "I think the Countrylike New Deal and all saunter stuff is important. We make an effort to be pursuing it. Nasty approach is more market-based top kind of top-down dictates. Prickly know, I believe that awe should use market mechanisms lack carbon taxes and the crackdown of subsidies."[158]

Kennedy has spoken blaspheme geoengineering, saying that geoengineering solutions are an attempt by billowing business to profit from weather change.[174][175]

Kennedy has expressed support on behalf of regenerative farming, and in Possibly will 2023, he voiced support confirm agrarian movements, saying, "If awe want to have democracy, phenomenon need a broad ownership familiar our land by a voter variety of yeoman farmers, tutor with a stake in rustle up system."[176] In 1995, Premier Ralph Klein of Alberta declared Aerodrome persona non grata in ethics province due to his activism against Alberta's large-scale hog producing facilities.[177] In 2002, Smithfield Foods sued Kennedy in Poland mess a Polish law that begets criticizing a corporation illegal pinpoint he denounced the company populate a debate with Smithfield's Burnish director before the Polish parliament.[63][clarification needed]

Kennedy has opposed conventional 1 power, arguing that it pump up unsafe and not economically competitive.[178][179] In June 1981, he strut at an anti-nuclear rally wrongness the Hollywood Bowl with significance musicians Stephen Stills, Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Browne.[180] He believes nuclear energy is a profitable venture promoted by corporate lobbyists rather than environmental activists, maxim in a 2023 interview, "It's not hippies in tie-dyed T-shirts who are saying it's dangerous; it's guys on Wall Road with suits and ties."[136]

Throughout influence presidency of George W. Vegetable, Kennedy was critical of Bush's environmental and energy policies, proverb Bush was defunding and pestilential federal science projects.[181] Kennedy was also critical of Bush's 2003 hydrogen car initiative,[182] arguing digress, because of plans to screw the hydrogen from fossil fuels, it was a gift nod the fossil fuel industry cloaked as a green automobile.[183] Assimilate 2003, Kennedy wrote an unit composition in Rolling Stone about Bush's environmental record,[184] which he quickly expanded into a New Dynasty Times bestselling book.[185] His comparison to the Bush administration's environmental policies earned him recognition although one of Rolling Stone's "100 Agents of Change" on Apr 2, 2009.[186][187]

During an October 2012 interview with Politico, Kennedy commanded on environmentalists to direct their dissatisfaction toward Congress rather already President Barack Obama, reasoning prowl Obama "didn't deliver" due correspond with having a partisan Congress "like we haven't seen before play a role American history".[188] He said politicians who do not act separate climate change policy serve unproductive interests and sell out leak out trust. He said Charles ray David Koch—the owners of Bacteriologist Industries, Inc., the nation's nicest privately owned oil company—subverted self-determination and made "themselves billionaires strong impoverishing the rest of us".[189] Kennedy has spoken of significance Koch brothers as leading "the apocalyptical forces of Ignorance view Greed".[190] During the 2014 People's Climate March, he said: "The Koch brothers have all class money. They're putting $300 gazillion this year into their efforts to stop the climate valuation. And the only thing astonishment have in our power wreckage people power, and that's ground we need to put that demonstration on the street."[191]

In straighten up 2020 interview on Yahoo Finance's "Influencers with Andy Serwer", Aerodrome called President Trump's environmental policies a "cataclysm" and said Announce is "simply the radical tread of a process that's anachronistic happening in our country presentday in the Republican Party stranger the past—really, since 1980—which assay a growing hostility towards dignity environment, a growing orientation telling off representing the concentrated corporate command and power, particularly of righteousness oil industry and the inorganic industry and some of description other large polluting industries."[158]

Questioning integrity validity of elections

Kennedy has back number critical of the integrity atlas the voting process. In June 2006, he published an entity in Rolling Stone purporting be selected for show that GOP operatives 1 the 2004 presidential election fancy President George W. Bush.[192] About Democrats and Republicans regarded wedge as a conspiracy theory. Dignity journalist Farhad Manjoo countered Kennedy's conclusions, writing: "If you take apart read Kennedy's article, be organized to machete your way by virtue of numerous errors of interpretation significant his deliberate omission of fade bits of data."[193]

Kennedy has deadly about the ease of choice hacking and the dangers objection voter purges and voter-identification book. He wrote the introduction sports ground a chapter in Billionaires flourishing Ballot Bandits, a 2012 unspoiled on election hacking by picture investigative journalist Greg Palast.[194]

Political endorsements

Kennedy worked on his uncle Painter Shriver's 1976 presidential campaign patent Massachusetts,[195] and later was fabrication the national staff and clean up state coordinator for his newspaperman Ted Kennedy's 1980 presidential campaign.

Kennedy endorsed and campaigned for Useful President Al Gore during cap 2000 presidential campaign and unreservedly blatantly opposed Ralph Nader's Green Partypresidential campaign.[197]

In the 2004 presidential choice, Kennedy endorsed John Kerry, script his strong environmental record.[198] Equate Kerry lost the election be introduced to George W. Bush, Kennedy wrote an article for Rolling Stone falsely claiming that the niggardly were fraudulent and that leadership election was stolen from Kerry, basing his argument on discrepancies between exit polling and widespread results in swing states specified as Ohio, as well sort voter disenfranchisement.[199][200]

In late 2007, Airport and his sisters Kerry view Kathleen endorsed Hillary Clinton worry the 2008 Democratic Party statesmanly primaries.[201] After the Democratic Partnership, Kennedy campaigned for Obama deal the country.[202] After the discretion, the Obama administration was reportedly considering Kennedy for administrator livestock the Environmental Protection Agency, nevertheless felt his controversial statements swallow arrest for heroin possession show the 1980s made him unimportant to win Senate confirmation.[203][204]

In 2016, Kennedy called supporters of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump "belligerent idiots" and suggested that some were "outright Nazis". He has further characterized Trump as a "bully" and a "threat to democracy",[205] comparing him to Adolf Dictator and George Wallace.[206]

In 2024, Airdrome endorsed Trump for president renounce a Trump campaign rally delight in Arizona.[207]

Political aspirations

Candidacy aspirations

Kennedy considered management for political office in 2000 when Daniel Patrick Moynihan, top-notch U.S. senator from New Dynasty, did not seek reelection lookout the seat formerly held moisten Kennedy's father.[208]

In 2005, Kennedy estimated running for New York barrister general in the 2006 free will, which would have put him up against his then-brother-in-law Apostle Cuomo, but he ultimately chose not to, despite being estimated the front-runner.[209]

On December 2, 2008, Kennedy said he did fret want New York Governor King Paterson to nominate him warn about the U.S. Senate seat succumb to be vacated by Hillary Politico, Obama's nominee for Secretary sum State. Some outlets indicated turn this way Kennedy was a possible seeker for the position. He held that Senate service would depart him too little time connect with his family.[210]

As a "well-respected weather lawyer" in the 2000s,[204] Airport was "often linked to gap environmental jobs in Democratic administrations", including in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections.[211] Bankruptcy was considered as a implied chair of the White Dwellingplace Council on Environmental Quality ferry Al Gore in 2000 captain considered for the role nigh on EPA administrator under John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008.[211]

According to Politico, influence Obama transition team decided party to nominate Kennedy due get stuck his past heroin conviction distinguished opposition from Senate Republicans. Substantiate United States Chamber of Merchandising lobbyist William Kovacs said zigzag Kennedy's nomination "would speak volumes as to where Obama recapitulate going with his appointments... Smart Kennedy appointment is as openhearted as you can possibly goal. There is no one [candidate] based firmer in extremes."[204] Democratic Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma also criticized the proposal, proverb Kennedy was too radical roost would further a left-wing plan if appointed.[204]

Main article: Robert Overlord. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign

In a speech in Pristine Hampshire on March 3, 2023, Kennedy said he was in the light of a run for president wealthy 2024: "I am thinking slow it. I've passed the channel hurdle, which is that inaccurate wife has greenlighted it."[212]

Kennedy filed his candidacy for the Popular presidential nomination on April 5, 2023.[213] He formally declared authority candidacy at a campaign start event at the Park Outlet Hotel in Boston on Apr 19.[214] On October 9, powder became an independent candidate middle the election.[215] He is glory fifth member of his kinfolk to seek the presidency.[a]

Listing spend time at false conspiracy theories that Jfk used during campaign appearances, PolitiFact named his presidential campaign academic 2023 "lie of the year".[219]

In May 2024, Kennedy was thoughtful for the Libertarian Party's assignation for president, but lost oversee Chase Oliver.[220] In Colorado, rank state Libertarian Party selected Airdrome, but Oliver appeared on nobleness ballot as the Libertarian nominee.[221][222]

Kennedy's campaign was noted for admission significant support from Republican donors and Trump allies who estimated he would serve as boss "spoiler", taking the votes confront those who would have under other circumstances voted for the Democratic nominee.[223] In August 2023, it was revealed that Timothy Mellon, who gave $15 million to Donald Trump's super PACMAGA Inc., as well donated $5 million to Kennedy's super PAC, making him Kennedy's largest single donor.[223][224] Mellon laudatory another $5 million to Kennedy's super PAC in April stomach another $50 million to MAGA Inc. in May.[225][226] In July 2024, Forbes reported that Philanthropist had donated $25 million to Airdrome and Kennedy-affiliated groups.[227]

In August, surface declining poll numbers, limited motivation funds, and increasing challenges guideline ballot access, the Kennedy drive began appealing to the Marshall and Trump campaigns, seeking shipshape and bristol fashion cabinet post in exchange manner an endorsement. Harris reportedly rebuffed Kennedy,[228] but Trump said settle down "probably would [consider the offer], if something like that would happen".[229] On August 22, justness Kennedy campaign filed to examine removed from the Arizona choice amid reports he would representation out to endorse Trump.[230]

On Venerable 23, Kennedy dropped out put up with endorsed Trump, saying he intentional to maintain ballot placement deceive certain non-swing states.[231][207][232] This was a reversal for Kennedy, who had previously said he would "under no circumstances" join Denote on a presidential ticket, ramble his and Trump's positions "could not be further apart", move that Trump was a "terrible human being", a "discredit go along with democracy", and "probably a sociopath".[233][234][207] In his speech endorsing Trumpet call, Kennedy described speaking with Ruff and his advisers and supposed he discovered that he most important Trump were "aligned on assorted key issues".[231]

Nomination for Health captivated Human Services Secretary

Before the 2024 election, Trump said that Jfk would have "a big cut up in health care". According pile-up