RFK Jr. discusses past addiction as trust remains low (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: I'm not scared of a germ, you know, I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.

[00:00:05] Speaker 2: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opened up about his past cocaine addiction on this past weekend with Theo Vaughn. Kennedy has previously spoken publicly about his struggles with substance use. He has said they started after the assassination of his father, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and he said that past arrests for drug possession led to his decision to pursue sobriety. On the podcast, Kennedy described continuing to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[00:00:36] Speaker 1: I know this disease will kill me, right? If I don't treat it, which means for me going to meetings every day, it's just bad for my life. So for me, it was survival.

[00:00:52] Speaker 2: The remarks come after Kennedy completed his first year as health secretary. Trust in federal health agencies has plummeted in recent years, with declines across the political spectrum. According to health policy research group KFF, overall trust in the CDC stands at 47 percent. Trust in Kennedy himself as a source of health information was also low, with 37 percent of those polled in January saying they trust him a great deal or a fair amount. CNN has reached out to Kennedy for further comment.