RFK Jr. crashes Rep. Madeleine Dean’s TV interview in debate spin room
Dean, who represents Montgomery County, had an exchange with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. when he joined a TV interview she was doing ahead of the debate in Philadelphia.
Democrat U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D., Pa.) had a surprise interaction and conversation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while she was in the middle of a television interview Tuesday night in the presidential debate spin room in Philadelphia.
Kennedy was walking by when NewsNation anchor Leland Vittert, who was interviewing Dean, called out his name. Kennedy, who ended his own independent campaign for the White House last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump, stopped and joined the interview.
“Hi, my name is Madeline Dean. I’m a member of Congress. Your father tragically died on my ninth birthday,” Dean told Kennedy. “I’m an extraordinary fan of your father and your family. I represent suburban Philadelphia.”
Vittert interjected that Dean, who represents Montgomery County, and other Democrats have “sort of ostracized Mr. Kennedy from the Democratic Party. Is that fair?”
Dean rejected that characterization and briefly engaged Kennedy.
She mentioned her grandchildren and asked Kennedy: “So what do you see for their future in terms of the environment? What do you see in terms of women’s reproductive freedom? Those are the things I care about. What do you see in terms of protecting us against the next pandemic?”
“I’m very grateful to you,” Kennedy replied, “for your commitment to having conversations and dialogue with people.”
Kennedy said his “main concern in public life has been ending the chronic disease epidemic,” particularly for children. Kennedy opposes vaccines for children that are widely recommended by medical professionals.
Dean then mentioned that she carries in her pocketbook “your father’s button, an RFK button, when he ran in ‘68.”
Dean added: “The other thing I honored about your father and your uncle was their focus on the poor. They were not afraid to talk about the poor, that we are all in this for the poor.”
She concluded: “Let’s focus on the poor. Let’s focus on our children.”
Minutes after the exchange, a group of reporters who had watched the tense moment asked her about it.”Mr. Leland tried to say something about how I have ostracized Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of course, no I haven’t,” Dean said.
“I have no idea why he popped in there,” Dean said, asked what prompted Kennedy to join her. “Yeah, I believe that was live. It was fascinating.”
Kennedy did several interviews with TV stations inside the spin room Tuesday night before the debate, but didn’t stop for a gaggle with reporters trailing him inside.
Dean said she admires Kennedy’s family and his focus in the interview on lifting children out of poverty and hunger.
“So we have some things in common,” Dean said. “Obviously, his support for Mr. Trump makes no sense to me,” she added.
Dean said she didn’t think Kennedy’s support of Trump will make a difference in her closely divided home state.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think Mr. Kennedy’s support is gonna make a difference at all because it seems he’s been all over the board in terms of that which he cares about. If you remember, as a younger man, he cared so much about the environment. …my constituents, young people in my district care a lot about the environment but that seems to have faded from Mr. Kennedy’s focus.”
Asked if she could work with a Trump administration that also includes Kennedy in the cabinet, Dean said: “The good news is there will not be a second Trump administration.”