‘Dangerous’: Caroline Kennedy blasts cousin RFK Jr’s vaccine views

Departing United States ambassador Caroline Kennedy has rubbished the controversial scientific views of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump’s choice to lead America’s premier public health agency.

In a farewell speech at the National Press Club, Kennedy also made a full-throated defence of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pact, describing it as an “existential investment in Australia’s sovereignty and way of life”, and predicted she would see a female US president in her lifetime.

Caroline Kennedy says her cousin’s views on healthcare are not shared by the rest of the political dynasty. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

Asked whether her cousin, widely known as RFK Jr, risked tarnishing the Kennedy family’s legacy as Trump’s selection to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy said: “I think Bobby Kennedy’s views on vaccines are dangerous, but I don’t think that most Americans share them, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens ... I grew up with him, so I’ve known all this for a long time; others are just getting to know him.”

RFK Jr has linked vaccines to autism – a discredited theory long rejected by scientists – and promised that a Trump administration would advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water.

He originally ran as a third-party presidential candidate but withdrew from the race in August and endorsed Trump.

Stressing that her family had championed expanded access to healthcare, the daughter of late president John F. Kennedy said: “I would say that our family is united in terms of our support for the public health sector infrastructure, and has the greatest admiration for the medical profession in our country, and Bobby Kennedy has a different set of views.”

The US Department of Health and Human Services oversees an array of agencies including the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the office of the Surgeon General.

Describing AUKUS as a “game-changer” for security in the Indo-Pacific, Kennedy said: “To those who still question whether AUKUS is necessary, ask the Philippines and Vietnam what it’s like to have your ships rammed and sunk by Chinese ‘coast guard’ vessels, or Japan what happens when missiles land close to shore, or the Pacific nations when your most precious resource is destroyed by an industrial-scale fishing armada.

“Ask our private sector what the consequences are from the damage to undersea cables in the Taiwan Strait.

“The long delays and higher prices that result from the Middle East conflict are insignificant compared to the global consequences of a conflict in this region.”

Kennedy ranked Australia as America’s number one partner, saying: “We have no more trusted or capable ally ... Australia is no longer America’s ‘deputy sheriff’ or whatever the critics like to say. Australia is our teacher and our partner as the United States navigates a multipolar world.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr is Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.Credit: AP

Commenting on Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’s election defeat, she said: “I know Americans are going to elect a woman president in my lifetime, so that is easy.”

Asked whether Kevin Rudd’s role as Australian ambassador in Washington was tenable after his previous criticisms of Trump, Kennedy said he had “the full confidence” of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and that he had been an “incredibly energetic” diplomat.

Kennedy, who flagged she would leave her post regardless of the US election outcome, is expected to return to the US in the coming weeks after almost 2½ years as President Joe Biden’s choice to represent the US in Australia.

She has largely avoided press conferences and policy-focused interviews during her tenure, preferring to project American “soft power” by travelling across the continent and through commercial radio and breakfast television interviews.

In an extended interview with this masthead last year, Kennedy said she believed the US-Australia alliance would remain strong even if Trump returned to the White House.

“I think that foreign policy historically, and certainly now and certainly in this region, enjoys real bipartisan support,” she said. “I’m confident that Australia should be able to count on us.”

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