Kennedy apologizes after a video of him speaking to Trump leaks

PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized Tuesday after a video was posted online showing part of a private phone call between the independent presidential candidate and Republican former President Donald Trump.

The video shows Kennedy listening on a speakerphone as Trump shares disproven claims about childhood vaccines, an issue that has helped Kennedy amass a loyal following among people who reject the scientific consensus that the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risk of rare complications. Trump also appears to pitch Kennedy on endorsing his campaign.

“I would love you to do so,” Trump tells Kennedy. “And I think it’ll be so good for you and so big for you. And we’re going to win.”

Kennedy says little in the portion of the conversation that was leaked, which begins while Trump is already speaking about vaccines.

“When President Trump called me I was taping with an in-house videographer,” Kennedy wrote on the X platform. “I should have ordered the videographer to stop recording immediately. I am mortified that this was posted. I apologize to the president.”

The video was first posted by Kennedy’s son, Robert F. Kennedy III, who said it was recorded Sunday, a day after Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania and a day before the start of the Republican National Convention. It was deleted a short time later but copies continue to circulate on social media.

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