- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime environmental activist who now has outspoken views about COVID-19 vaccines.
- Asked by Fox News' Sean Hannity about his use of private jets, Kennedy seemed to struggle for an answer.
- Kennedy is not the first political figure to face tough questions on the issue.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to struggle when faced with a question about his use of private jets from Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday as he continues his longshot bid for the White House.
Hannity pressed Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy and outspoken anti-vaccine activist, asking whether he continues to use private jets despite his environmental activism.
Kennedy has filed to run for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, where he's facing an uphill struggle against President Joe Biden, who recently announced his plans to seek re-election. Kennedy's campaign website lists the environment as one of his priorities, alongside areas including "honest government" and "civil liberties."
During the interview, Hannity and Kennedy discussed a variety of topics, including Kennedy's father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968.
Toward the end of the interview, however, Hannity brought up a previous comment of Kennedy's where he said he had used a private jet, noting that Kennedy is "a big environmentalist."
Kennedy has long been involved in environmental activism. He previously worked at Pace Law School's Environmental Litigation Clinic, serving as its supervising attorney and co-director. In 2001, Kennedy was sentenced to 30 days in jail for trespassing on Vieques island, Puerto Rico, in a bid to stop a military bombing exercise, and in 2016 he was arrested at an environmental protest in Washington, D.C.
"Have you given up all use of private jets because of your environmental views?" Hannity asked.
Kennedy initially responded by laughing and said: "Are you really going back to that, Sean?"
"Wait a minute, that's a simple question. Are you pledging to never—have you given up the use of private jets?" Hannity asked.
"Sean, I don't fly on private jets," Kennedy responded. "I don't regularly fly on private jets and I'm not..."
"Regularly," Hannity cut in before Kennedy continued: "I've never objected to people flying..." There was some crosstalk as both men tried to speak.
"Listen," Hannity said. "I think this climate alarmist stuff is a bunch of crap, so I don't care if you do or not, but if you're claiming to be a big environmentalist, you shouldn't be flying on a private jet, right?"
"I'm not that kind of environmentalist," Kennedy said. "I believe that—listen, I have been fighting for—against pollution on the rivers and water, against global pollution, against carbon pollution because of the toxicity of those things. I have not told people that they shouldn't fly on private jets."
Hannity then ended the interview, pointing to Kennedy's polling, which he called "very respectable."
A Fox News poll conducted from April 21 to 24 showed Kennedy with 19 percent in a hypothetical Democrat primary to Biden's 62 percent, while an Echelon Insights poll conducted from April 25 to 27 showed Biden with 66 percent to Kennedy's 10 percent.
Kennedy may be hoping that his views on vaccines will find support. A Morning Consult survey of nearly 30,000 people in the U.S., conducted between March 7 and 13, found 71 percent of Americans had been vaccinated against COVID-19, but 21 percent were "unwilling" to do so.
Nor is he the first prominent political figure to face questions over the use of private jets. The family of Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry sold its private jet last summer, Fox News reported, following criticism of its carbon footprint. Kerry has defended political and business leaders who use private jets to attend climate summits, saying that they are working hard for the environment and can use carbon-offsetting. He said he has not used private jets during his current role.
Newsweek has reached out to the Kennedy campaign via email for comment.
Update 5/9/23, 7:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional background information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
