RFK Jr. vs. Fox News: 5 Explosive Moments From the Interview Shaping the 2024 Race

Updated July 17 2025 — Washington, D.C. Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy ignited a fresh wave of online searches after a blistering Fox News appearance in which he demanded that people attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “be sent to jail and stay there.” The late-night segment ran across Fox News’ prime-time lineup and is now dominating “Kennedy Fox News” keyword traffic as viewers replay and share the clip across social platforms. What Kennedy said on Fox News Appearing on “Fox News @ Night,” Kennedy argued that a spike in assaults on federal officers is being “brushed aside by the Biden administration,” calling the trend “anarchy in slow motion.” He urged congressional leaders to fast-track legislation that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for assaults on ICE personnel and expand federal jurisdiction in cases where local prosecutors decline to file charges. The numbers behind the claim Kennedy’s warning follows a Department of Homeland Security bulletin released last week that documented an 830 percent rise in assaults on ICE law-enforcement officers since 2020. DHS attributes the surge to coordinated protests outside detention centers and courthouse facilities. Agents reported 142 physical attacks in the first half of 2025 alone, compared with just 17 during the same period in 2020. Why the issue is resonating now • Election-year spotlight: Immigration has re-emerged as a top-three voter concern in 2025 polling, amplifying every Fox News segment featuring Kennedy’s colorful soundbites. • Viral shareability: Kennedy’s trademark one-liners—“Handcuffs first, hashtags later”—have lit up X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok clips tagged #KennedyFoxNews. • Parallel controversies: Earlier this month, libertarian commentator Lisa Kennedy Montgomery—also known simply as “Kennedy” on Fox—sparked backlash during a “Gutfeld!” panel when she joked about re-appropriating inflammatory rhetoric, further pushing the compound search term “Kennedy Fox News” up trend charts. White House and DHS response A DHS spokesperson acknowledged the assault statistics but disputed Kennedy’s characterization that the administration is “doing nothing,” pointing to a new inter-agency task force announced on July 10. The White House, meanwhile, labeled Kennedy’s remarks “another example of election-season grandstanding,” noting that federal prosecutors already possess authority to charge assault on a federal officer under 18 U.S.C. § 111. What comes next • Senate Judiciary Committee staff confirm Kennedy is drafting a bill tentatively titled the “Protecting Federal Officers Act,” expected to be introduced before the August recess. • ICE leadership will brief lawmakers in a closed session next week to outline resource gaps at high-risk detention sites. • Fox News has teased a follow-up interview with Kennedy during Friday’s “The Faulkner Focus,” ensuring the “Kennedy Fox News” search frenzy remains hot through the weekend. Bottom line With immigration violence statistics surging and campaign season heating up, Sen. John Kennedy’s uncompromising Fox News rhetoric is poised to keep the keyword “Kennedy Fox News” in heavy rotation. Expect continued clashes between the senator, DHS officials and the Biden administration as both policy and politics converge on the airwaves—and in the search-engine results pages—throughout the summer.