Whoopi Goldberg railed against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on this morning’s episode of The View after the health and human services secretary made some eyebrow-raising remarks about the Texas measles outbreak during a cabinet meeting yesterday (Feb. 26).
The outbreak, which has killed one child so far (who was not vaccinated) and infected at least 124 others, per NBC News, has brought the first measles-related death in 10 years, as Goldberg emphasized. However, Kennedy claimed there was no need to be alarmed by the spread of the virus.
“We are following the measles epidemic every day,” he said during the cabinet meeting, adding, “There have been four measles outbreaks this year. In this country last year there were 16. So, it’s not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.”
After a clip of his remarks played on The View, a heated Goldberg exclaimed, “Actually, it is unusual, because it was eradicated. You are not giving out the proper information. This is your job, dude! People are gonna die if they believe what you’re saying and they don’t check.
“Now, I’m very worried about this reaction … it’s kind of like, ‘Yeah no, this is not a big deal,’” she continued. “It is a big deal, and it is a big deal for mothers, expectant mothers, mother who don’t even know that they’re pregnant. You have no idea, and to flippantly put it off and say ‘it happens all the time,’ it doesn’t! So what you gon’ do about it, RFK?”
She wasn’t the only one alarmed by his words. Alyssa Farah Griffin also reprimanded him for the inaccuracies in his brief comments to the cabinet.
“He also just didn’t have basic facts, which I was stunned by … he said there were two deaths, there was only one death. He said ‘this is not unusual,’ it is, as [Whoopi] said,” Griffin said, noting that Kennedy had also incorrectly stated that hospitals were “quarantining” measles patients.
She added, “I worry to your point, because statistically we’re likely to have a public health crisis in some way, this is the man overseeing it.”
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
The post ‘The View’s Whoopi Goldberg Scolds RFK Jr. For Downplaying Measles Outbreak: “People Are Gonna Die If They Believe What You’re Saying” appeared first on Decider.
