In a recent NewsNation town hall, Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered an unyielding defense of his views on “safe vaccines” while expressing dissatisfaction with the current trajectory of the Democratic Party.

The town hall, moderated by Elizabeth Vargas of NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” allowed Kennedy to field questions on an array of topics, from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to the evolution of his party.

A notable moment occurred when Dr. Tariq Butt, a family medicine physician, challenged Kennedy over his contentious views on childhood vaccinations.

“I’ve never been anti-vaccine, and I’ve said that hundreds and hundreds of times, but it doesn’t matter,” Kennedy retorted, implying that his stance has been unjustly labeled as “dangerous.” He added, “Using a pejorative to describe me is a way of silencing me or marginalizing me.”

Kennedy, the founder of the nonprofit organization Children’s Health Defense, reaffirmed his commitment to “safe vaccines.”

This view was met with skepticism from Vargas, who noted that the overwhelming majority of medical and scientific bodies disagree with Kennedy’s position, contending that vaccines are already safe.

“I think virtually every American would agree with my stance on vaccines, which is that vaccines should be tested like other medicines. They should be safety tested,” Kennedy asserted to Dr. Butt. “Unfortunately, vaccines are not safety tested, they’re not.”

Kennedy claimed that none of the 72 vaccine doses effectively mandated for American children had undergone a pre-licensing placebo-controlled trial, a statement Vargas challenged.

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He also recounted a 2016 encounter with Dr. Anthony Fauci in which he requested a pre-licensing safety test for “any vaccine.”

Kennedy says he subsequently sued the Department of Health and Human Services when they failed to produce the requested documentation.

“They said they could not provide a single safety study for any vaccine that is on the childhood schedule—a pre-licensing safety study,” he declared.

Kennedy, who is currently polling at 15% according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current state of the Democratic Party during the town hall.

The presidential contender did not commit to supporting the eventual Democratic nominee, stating that the party had “lost its way.”

“I believe that the values that I’m trying to promote are the exact values that my father and my uncle would have promoted,” Kennedy declared. “One of my purposes in running is to remind the Democratic Party of what we are supposed to represent, and what we’ve always represented. … I want my party back.”

Kennedy’s refusal to pledge support to the eventual nominee unless they align with “Democratic values” adds an intriguing layer to the upcoming presidential race.

A CNN poll from earlier this year had Kennedy at 20% among Democrats, showing promising strength against incumbent President Biden, who currently holds a 62% approval rating.

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