RFK Jr. is serving in Donald Trump's administration. His sister Kerry Kennedy, who is a friend by the way, has been very open about their political differences. But today Kerry is also sharing the story of her mother Ethel Kennedy.
After Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, Ethel was left to raise 11 children while continuing the family's work in public service and civil rights. Kerry tells her mother's story in a new book. It's called Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy. And she joins me now. Thank you, Kerry, for joining. How are you?
I'm so great, but Don, I just I I have two hats. One is the President of Kennedy Human Rights, but I'm taking that off for a moment and putting on my personal hat. I'm so outraged by the film you just showed. And I also just really want to pay tribute to you, Don, because you have stood up again and again and again. And you know what it's like to be persecuted by this government just for sharing your opinion. We're not even sharing it, just for being a member of the press and showing what's going on to the American people and being persecuted because of that. That's happening across this country.
And those arrests, you're right, those aren't strategic. What they're trying to do is get that on as many social media stations as possible so voters stay home. So voters are still too scared to go out and vote. The only way to combat that is to vote and get your friends to vote and get your family to vote and call everyone you know and say vote.
Well, I think you're right about that 100% Carrie, and I thank you for what you said. Um, and I just wonder, you know, coming from a family that has fought for civil rights, fought in civil rights, fought to enact civil rights legislation, when you see that your heart must break. And we'll talk about the book. Imagine I can't imagine what Ethel would be saying or doing right now. I mean, Ethel might be out there getting arrested right now.
She would. That would That's exactly what she would do. There was nothing she enjoyed more than a good protest. And she'd be right out there. She knew ICE was coming into someone's house, she'd be out there stopping them. That's what we all have to do. Our country is on fire, and we collectively have to be the people of Minneapolis and say, 'No. This is unacceptable. Democrat or Republican, we are not going to accept this kind of repression and intimidation and abuse of law enforcement for political gain in our country. That's not who we are.'
This administration calls this election enforcement. Um I see voter intimidation. What do you see?
I see clear voter intimidation. That's what this is. And it's not just to the people in the film. It's sending a message to everyone in the community. If your skin isn't white, then you better be scared. That's what they're trying to do.
It's amazing because he got a big percentage of the Latino vote last time.
No, I don't think so. I mean, according to Voto Latino, the numbers have dramatically changed because people are so angry about the ICE abuses and so scared for their own families and friends and community.
Yeah. And they should be. Um, we talked about what Ethel would do. What do you think? Your dad fought for voting rights. What do you think he'd make of these tactics?
Yeah, I mean, you know, my father worked alongside He believed that the people closest to the problem are the closest to the solution. And he worked alongside Martin Luther King and John Lewis and Reverend Abernathy and Marian Wright Edelman to assure that people across our country could vote. And in fact, the United States became a true democracy because of his work. We passed the voting rights laws and the Civil Rights Act. And that meant we were a true democracy for the first time in our history. The Trump administration is systematically trying to undo that. And it's up to all of us to say no. We will not go backwards. We are only going forwards in this country and we respect every single human being.
Um, Kerry, I know that you we've talked about this before and you've been asked this question a million times. Um, and the answer that I always get from you, I believe it's correct about your brother serving is that you love your brother, you just disagree with him on these issues. Is that correct about that?
Yes, that's true. And you know, what I just I saw that Bobby was in Texas campaigning with Paxton. I cannot understand that. I mean, this is really somebody who stands against everything that all the Kennedys embrace. And well, what can we do? We're in a country divided. There are so many families that are going through this wrenching division and what we need to do is say we can disagree, I love you and let's disagree, but let's not fall apart.
Yeah. Um, I'm going to take I got to I want to talk about the book. If you will allow me. Well, but first of all, have you spoken to your brother about this?
No. You haven't. Okay. Um, I want to talk about the book, but let me get I need to get in a break a word from our sponsors just 1 minute. Now, I've been watching the polling and I've been watching the prediction markets. I like to compare the two to get an accurate assessment of what's happening. Today's Marist poll has Democrat Amy Acton at 50% and Vivek Ramaswamy at 43%. And for example, over at Kalshi, Acton's chances of winning reached 76 percent. So, they may be higher. The polling may they may be higher than what the polling shows. This is a market estimate, it's not a poll, but it can change and you can check polling on Marist website and then go look at Kalshi.com or on the Kalshi app and you can compare. You don't have to trade. If you're concerned about trading, you don't have to. You can just go and take a look at that.
We are back with the incomparable Kerry Kennedy, my friend. Kerry, there's such a lovely note. I thank you for sending me the book and the note was lovely about your mom. You asked you said, you know, when she visited in 1996, when my mom was 96, excuse me. When my mom was 96, I went to Milan for work and I called her to check in and ask what I could bring her from what I could bring for her. Um, you said a panettone, a bottle of limoncello. She didn't hesitate, an Italian would be nice.
But I want to talk about this beautiful book right here and it's Ethel Kennedy, The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy by Kerry Kennedy. Why did you want to tell your mother's story now, Kerry?
You know what, I think she just had this extraordinary life. She went literally from abject poverty to one of the wealthiest families in the world and in her own family, the Skakels. Then she fell madly in love with my father and they had this extraordinary love affair that really makes you believe in romantic love. And then she lost Daddy in this horrible tragedy and trauma. And at that point, she didn't pull the covers up. She went out. She worked for social justice and her prayer, her athleticism, her belief in her family and her absolute commitment to making a more just and peaceful world is what pulled her through. I think there are so many people today who are overwhelmed by what's going on in our country and they need a model of saying, 'What do you do when everything is lost?' And you go out there and you work for social justice and that's what she did.
You know, there's someone in the comments that I read the comments. That's why I'm always looking off or down. I'm reading the comments to see what people are saying about the story and someone said Ethel was a real one. And she really was a real one. Now, look, your dad did important work. But you sadly your dad was killed and your mom picked up the mantle. Kerry picked up the baton and carried it and really got so many rights. It used to be the Ripple, right? Of Hope, right? But now it's Bobby and Ethel Kennedy Foundation, correct? Am I right?
Yes. But all over the world, Kerry. Not just here in the United States. I mean, what it takes to do that is it's extraordinary.
You know, she just saw wrong and tried to right it. And that's the way she walked through life. So, when I had twins and they were little, she'd call me up and say, 'You know, there's a protest down at the Chinese Embassy. Do you want to go?' And I'd say, 'Yes.' And I remember one time she read a newspaper article about pearl divers in Southeast Asia who getting the bends when they would dive really deeply and come up with pearls. And there was a solution because the United States Navy had these machines that would stop the bends from divers. And so, what did she do? Most of us would say, 'Terrible story. Nothing I can do about it.' But, she called the US Secretary of Defense and said, 'Could you get the Navy to get those machines to the divers in Southeast Asia?' I mean, who does that? Somebody who says, 'I see a problem. I'm not going to listen to that voice in my head that says there's nothing you can do about it. You're not a senator. You're not elected to anything.' She shut that off and said, 'Those people need my help and I'm going to do something.'
Yeah. I wonder how much of that I'm sure that came from just who she was, but having witnessed her own husband's demise, I'm sure had a traumatizing and also motivating effect to make sure that something like that wouldn't happen again. But, also the reason for many of these sadly assassinations in the '60s during that time is because people didn't want America to change as they do now. They don't want America to change. You were 8 years old when your father was assassinated. Do you remember that day?
