I wonder if it’s possible that at that time and/or prior to that time, he didn’t like kids personally 1:1 but did generally as a class of humans. Or, that he didn’t like kids generally as a class of humans but did like them personally 1:1 when he had a meaningful connection to them???
At the time I didn’t think too much of it, other than I disagreed with the sentiment. I still assume there’s nothing to it, and your interpretation is reasonable. But I do believe Rush is controlled by the establishment. What more that entails, who knows.