Victor Davis Hanson: Why the Kennedys Really Turned on RFK Jr.

Sep 8, 2025
Democrats attacked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hard during his congressional testimony last week, launching personal attacks on the health and human services secretary.

But it’s not just congressional Democrats on offense, as his own family is blasting him as an “embarrassment.” Victor Davis Hanson breaks down the Kennedy family’s hypocrisy—especially considering their silence on Ted Kennedy’s Chappaquiddick scandal and JFK’s infidelities—on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”

“ This is the irony. What is an embarrassment to the Kennedy family was not Bobby Jr. working for Donald Trump. It really wasn't. It was Ted Kennedy in 1969: a U.S. senator driving off a bridge with Mary Jo Kopechne, allowing her to drown in the car, and then for 24 hours, trying to fabricate a narrative that was completely a lie so he could get out of responsibility. And then using the Kennedy money and leverage in Massachusetts to get off with this, with no criminal exposure at all. A woman was killed. And yet, no one—none of the Kennedys said that he was a predator or he embarrassed them.

“ You know what else is an embarrassment right now that Caroline Kennedy should be worried about? Her son, Jack Schlossberg. What has he done? He gets on social media, he made fun of Melania Trump's voice the other day and tried to wear a wig and ridicule her.”

(0:00) Introduction
(1:28) RFK Jr.’s Controversial Past
(2:11) Healthcare Spending and Longevity
(3:08) Kennedy Family Hypocrisy
(4:31) Political Viability of the Kennedys
(4:58) Jack Schlossberg’s Embarassments
(6:08) Final Thoughts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPXk34yGw_g