Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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[[File:Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Robert Kennedy, Jr. at Celebrity Fight Night XXIII in 2017.]]
{{vax}}
{{cquote|I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me.|||Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<ref>Sudiksha Kochi (May 14, 2025). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/14/robert-f-kennedy-jr-vaccine-question-congressional-hearing/83624022007/ "RFK Jr.: 'I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me'"]. ''USA Today''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort [[cocaine]] off of toilet seats.|||The US Secretary of Health undere the current regime<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/12/rfk-jr-cocaine-toilet-seats-theo-von-podcast-substance-abuse-recovery/88650599007/ RFK Jr. admits to snorting 'cocaine off of toilet seats'], Fernando Cervantes Jr., ''USA Today'' 12 February 2026</ref>}}
{{cquote|Robert F. Kennedy Jr… is part of this campaign to attack the institutions committed to reducing the tragedy of preventable infectious diseases. He has helped to spread dangerous misinformation over [[social media]] and is complicit in sowing [[War on Science|distrust of the science]] behind vaccines. And his and others' work against vaccines is having heartbreaking consequences.|||Article co-written by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Maeve Kennedy McKean.<ref name="otherkenn">Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and Maeve Kennedy McKean. [https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/05/08/robert-kennedy-jr-measles-vaccines-226798/ RFK Jr. Is Our Brother and Uncle. He’s Tragically Wrong About Vaccines.]. ''Politico.''</ref> May 08, 2019.}}

'''Robert Francis Kennedy Jr.''' {{lived|1954}} is an [[United States|American]] [[lawyer]], [[conspiracy theorist]], and former Presidential candidate for the [[2024 U.S. presidential election|2024 election]]. He originally ran as a [[Democrat]], during which he only appeared on [[Conservative talk radio|right-wing podcasts]] (big brain move) and later switched to an independent run before he dropped out from the race and endorsed [[Donald Trump]].<ref>[https://www.cnn.com//2023/06/05/tech/elon-musk-robert-f-kennedy-jr-twitter-spaces/index.html With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. interview, Musk again uses Twitter to promote candidates aligned with his views] by Brian Fung (5 June 2023) ''CNN''.</ref><ref> [https://web.archive.org/web/20240808050751/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc3tZnVHZ5Y Democrats Declare RFK Jr. The Enemy] (Jul 21, 2023) ''The Ben Shapiro Show'' Ep. 1771, ''YouTube'' (archived from August 8, 2024).</ref> He was then made the current Secretary of Health and Human Services (or more appropriately, "Head of Health and Human Sewage"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B1uNEZPgmQ RFK Jr: Head of Health and Human Sewage] by Josh Johnson (May 20, 2025) ''YouTube''.</ref>{{efn|RFK endangered himself and his grandchildren by taking them bathing in untreated sewage.<ref>[https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-slammed-for-swimming-in-sewage-filled-rock-creek-with-grandchildren-8401743 RFK Jr Slammed For Swimming In Sewage-Filled Rock Creek With Grandchildren] (May 13, 2025 15:05 pm IST) ''NDTV''.</ref>}}) during Trump's second term.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5294591/rfk-jr-trump-health-human-services-hhs-vaccines RFK Jr. confirmed as Trump's health secretary, over Democrats' loud objections], Selena Simmons-Duffin, ''NPR'' 13 February 2025</ref> Aside from his involvement in the Trump administration, he is most known for his role in the [[anti-vaccination movement]],<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56536390 Covid vaccine: Social media urged to remove 'disinfo dozen'] (March 26, 2021) ''BBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/rfk-jr-and-his-im-not-anti-vaccine-rejoinder-to-being-confronted-with-his-past-antivax-statements-a-primer/ RFK Jr. and his 'I’m not anti-vaccine' rejoinder to being confronted with his past antivax statements: A primer] by David Gorski (December 18, 2023) ''Science-Based Medicine''.</ref><ref>[https://www.factcheck.org/2023/11/scicheck-rfk-jr-incorrectly-denies-past-remarks-on-vaccine-safety-and-effectiveness/ RFK Jr. Incorrectly Denies Past Remarks on Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness] by Jessica McDonald (November 8, 2023) ''FactCheck.org''.</ref> the cause to which he has dedicated most of his energy in recent years. Kennedy didn’t know anyone with peanut allergies as a kid,<ref>[https://www.google.ca/books/edition/The_Peanut_Allergy_Epidemic_Third_Editio/IGeCDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 ''The Peanut Allergy Epidemic''] by Heather Fraser, forward by Robert Kennedy Jr. (2017) Skyhorse Publishing. {{isbn|1510726322}}.</ref> so it must be the vaccines.{{onion}} By the way, if you are seeing this on a [[computer]], throw it away immediately! It uses [[Microwave|Wi-Fi]] which destroys the brains of its users!<ref>[https://youtu.be/2TDeTI5kAb8 Joe Rogan STUNNED By WiFi Cancer Claims From RFK Jr.] from The Joe Rogan Experience] (Jun 20, 2023) ''The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder'' Excerpt from ''Joe Rogan Experience'' via ''YouTube''.</ref>

He is the son of the late [[Robert F. Kennedy]], and the nephew of the late President [[John F. Kennedy]]. However, while he ''is'' a member of the [[Kennedy]] political dynasty, his incessant prattling about anti-vaccine conspiracy theories has caused many to go public with their opposition.<ref name="otherkenn"/> According to a ''Vanity Fair'' exposé:<ref name="vfairexpose">[https://archive.ph/ZrKbX RFK Jr.’s Family Doesn’t Want Him to Run. Even They May Not Know His Darkest Secrets.] by Joe Hagan (2024 July 2) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref>

{{cquote|The portrait family members paint of Bobby is of a man of exceptional charm, wit, brains, and generosity who has championed important [[environmental]] causes, but whose worst traits—[[Post-truth|an unnerving ease with blending fact and fiction]]; a powerful ability to deny the collateral damage of his own destructive actions—have engulfed his better angels. The source of these pathologies, they observe, are found in his long and troubling biography, a life story marked by personal trauma and addiction to [[drugs]], sex, and, perhaps most perniciously of all, public adulation.}}

In October 2023, he dropped out of the Democratic Party and announced that he was running as an independent, much to the initial chagrin of Donald Trump, who was propping him up in the hopes that he'd weaken [[Joe Biden]] and subsequently faced a [[First past the post|spoiler candidate]] who always [[Democrat In Name Only|appealed far more]] to [[Republican]]s than he did his erstwhile fellow Democrats.<ref>[[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/09/robert-f-kennedy-jr-independent-run-2024-us-election Robert F Kennedy Jr announces independent run for 2024 US election] by Richard Luscombe & Adam Gabbatt (2023 October 9) ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>[https://www.semafor.com/article/10/06/2023/team-trump-readies-attacks-on-rfk-jr-as-spoiler-anxiety-grows Team Trump readies attacks on RFK Jr. as spoiler anxiety grows] by Shelby Talcott (2023 October 6) ''Semafor''.</ref> To reduce any doubt that RFK continues to be a spoiler candidate after his running as an independent, as late as March 2024, the largest donor to RFK's campaign was also a major donor to Trump's campaign, billionaire {{wpl|Tim Mellon}} (heir to the Mellon family fortune).<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/a-reclusive-heir-is-giving-millions-to-help-trump-and-rfk-jr-2adf40b5? A Reclusive Heir Is Giving Millions to Help Trump and RFK Jr.: Tim Mellon has handed out more than $150 million to causes and candidates in recent election cycles] by Tarini Parti (March 16, 2024 5:30 am ET) ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref><ref>[https://i-know-how-much-you-care.ghost.io/bobbys-brain-worms-story-is-just-more-evidence-hes-a-terrible-terrible-person/ Bobby's brain worms story is just more evidence he’s a terrible, terrible person] by Jason Sattler (May 11, 2024) ''I Know How Much You Care''.</ref> On August 23, 2024, Kennedy Jr.'s mask fully dropped: Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump for president.<ref name="apsuspended">[https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’s suspending his presidential bid and backing Donald Trump] by Jonathan J. Cooper et al. (2024 August 230 ''AP News''.</ref> As an apparent ''quid pro quo'' of sorts, that put him on track to set national health policy.<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4956319-trump-says-hell-let-rfk-jr-go-wild-on-health-and-food-in-potential-second-term/ Trump says he’ll let RFK Jr. ‘go wild’ on health and food in potential second term] by Brett Samuels (10/27/24 8:30 PM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref><ref>[https://www.statnews.com/2024/11/01/ted-kennedy-jr-robert-kennedy-rfk-trump-public-health-alarm/ Ted Kennedy Jr. expresses concern about Trump’s ‘flagrant disregard’ for public health] by Sarah Owermohle (November 1, 2024) ''STAT News''.</ref> In November 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was nominated to join the Trump Administration in 2025 as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS), and was confirmed on February 13, 2025.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/trump-rfk-hhs-health-kennedy-f40ee2398e3a280c1586eecdd80bdf7c Trump chooses anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary] by Jill Colvein & Amanda Seitz (2024 November 14) ''Associated Press''.</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5294591/rfk-jr-trump-health-human-services-hhs-vaccines RFK Jr. confirmed as Trump's health secretary, over Democrats' loud objections] by Selena Simmons-Duffin (February 13, 2025 11:33 AM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>

==A house divided…==
[[File:President John F. Kennedy with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (03).jpg|thumb|right|325px|President John F. Kennedy with his nephew Robert Jr. in the Oval Office, 1961.]]

===RFK Sr. vs. RFK Jr. on vaccination===
{{main|Robert F. Kennedy}}
{{cquote|The accomplishments of [[United States]] foreign assistance are already substantial&nbsp;— they are being felt in dozens of countries, all over the world.&nbsp;… Three quarters of a billion people will be safe from malaria,{{efn|This may be a transcription error, or a misstatement, as development for the {{w|malaria vaccine}} was only just getting started in the 1960s. It possibly refers to vaccination against [[measles]] instead.}} 77 million from smallpox, 7 million from cholera, because of vaccinations given in 1966 alone…. I believe the American people are ready to recognize that foreign aid is not a "give-away," but rather a moral obligation and a sound and necessary investment in the future.|||[[Robert F. Kennedy]]<ref>(July 21, 1966). [https://rfkhumanrights.org/quote/senate-speech-8/ Senate Speech]. ''Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|There's no vaccine that is safe and effective.|||Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-vaccines-trump-rfkjr-7f8dcb25de76a5a70710d22bbc63f6fa Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views] by Michelle R. Smith (November 14, 2024) ''The Associated Press''.</ref><ref name="SafeEffectiveCheck"/>}}

===JFK vs. RFK Jr. on the polio vaccine===
{{main|John F. Kennedy}}

{{cquote|Today is the sixteenth anniversary of the death of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. It is also the anniversary of the announcement that a vaccine has been discovered to prevent paralytic polio. … I hope that the renewed drive this spring and summer to provide vaccination for all Americans, and particularly those who are young, will have the wholehearted support of every parent in America. I hope that they, knowing some of the long range suffering which comes from an attack of polio&nbsp;— with this miraculous drug I hope that everyone takes advantage of it.|||[[John F. Kennedy]], 1961<ref>(April 12, 1961). [https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-press-conferences/news-conference-9 "News Conference 9"]. ''The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum''.</ref>}}

{{cquote|The polio vaccine contained a virus called simian virus 40, SV40. It’s one of the most carcinogenic materials that is known to man.|||Robert F. Kennedy Jr, 2023<ref name="SafeEffectiveCheck">[https://www.factcheck.org/2023/11/scicheck-rfk-jr-incorrectly-denies-past-remarks-on-vaccine-safety-and-effectiveness/ RFK Jr. Incorrectly Denies Past Remarks on Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness] by Jessica McDonald (November 8, 2023) ''FactCheck.org'' (The Annenberg Public Policy Center).{{quotebox|As we’ve explained before, a portion — but not all — of the approximately 100 million Americans vaccinated between 1955 and 1963 for polio received vaccines that were contaminated with SV40. But the virus, which causes cancer in rodents, has not been shown to cause cancer in humans. And there isn’t evidence that people who were vaccinated developed cancer at a higher rate than those who were not.}}</ref>}}

===Ted Kennedy vs. RFK Jr. on HIV/AIDS===
[[File:The Kennedy family poses with SECNAV at the ship name unveiling. (29540205430).jpg|thumb|right|375px|Robert Jr. (center) poses with the rest of the Kennedy family during the naming ceremony of the USNS ''Robert Kennedy'' auxiliary ship, 2016.]]
{{main|1=Ted Kennedy|3=HIV/AIDS}}
{{cquote|It is now all the more important to provide resources to assist people with HIV disease obtain essential treatment. Science has given us the tools to help hundreds of thousands of people fight for life. What is lacking is an equitable formula for delivering those tools to Americans in need.|||[[Ted Kennedy|Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy]]<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/08/18/azt-found-to-delay-onset-of-aids/c33fa1e8-d7b6-465d-a055-970e8405f789/ "AZT Found to Delay Onset of AIDS] by Michael Specter (August 18, 1989) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|They were doing phony, crooked studies to develop a cure that killed people, without really being able to understand what HIV was, and pumping up fear about it constantly, not really understanding whether it was causing AIDS.|||Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/robert-f-kennedy-jr-2024-presidential-campaign-democratic-primary.html RFK Jr.'s Inside Job] by Rebecca Traister (June 30, 2023) ''Intelligencer'' (New York).</ref>}}

===Other family===
When he tried to run for the 2024 Democratic nomination, most of his notable family members openly endorsed President Biden, and only a handful of his children and grandchildren even bothered to show up when he launched his campaign.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/19/robert-kennedy-2024-campaign-00092842 The Kennedy campaign the Kennedys don’t want to see] by Lisa Kashinsky (04/19/2023 04:37 PM EDT) ''Politico.''</ref> In 2023, his brother, Chris Kennedy, pretended not to know Robert Jr. was running for president, and his sister, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, outright refused to discuss him.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/16/politics/robert-f-kennedy-family-biden-2024/index.html Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can’t count on family support to take on Biden] by Edward-Isaac Dovere (6:17 AM EDT, Sun April 16, 2023) ''CNN.''</ref>

His own wife, actress Cheryl Hines, has at times expressed her disapproval of his anti-vaccine activism, although she had publicly stated that she supports her husband for president.<ref>[https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/06/robert-f-kennedy-jr-president-campaign-family.html The Kennedys Really Hate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Maybe they're on to something.] by Heather Schwedel (June 11, 2023) ''Slate''.</ref> This family tension isn't new, either. In 2019, Kathleen, Kathleen's daughter Maeve, and Joe Kennedy II co-authored a ''Politico'' article expressing their "heartbreak" over Robert Kennedy Jr.'s harmful preoccupation with spreading misinformation.<ref name="otherkenn"/>
The harshest words came from JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg, who said:
{{QuoteBox|I've listened to him, I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president. What I do know is his candidacy is an embarrassment.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jfk-grandson-rfk-jr-embarrassment-b2379705.html JFK’s grandson calls RFK Jr an embarrassment to the family name] by Kelly Rissman (21 July 2023 17:23 BST) ''The Independent.''</ref>}}

JFK's last living child, Caroline Kennedy, also spoke on it after Trump announced he would nominate RFK Jr. to be his HHS Secretary:
{{QuoteBox|I think Bobby Kennedy's views on vaccines are dangerous, but I don't think that most Americans share them, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I grew up with him, so I've known all this for a long time; others are just getting to know him.<ref>Siladitya Ray (November 18, 2024). [https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/11/18/caroline-kennedy-calls-cousin-rfk-jrs-vaccine-stance-dangerous-in-farewell-speech-as-ambassador-to-australia/ Caroline Kennedy Calls Cousin RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Stance ‘Dangerous,’ In Farewell Speech As Ambassador To Australia] by Siladitya Ray (Nov 18, 2024,06:13am EST) ''Forbes''.</ref>}}

==Crimes and general nastiness==
In 1984, RFK pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of [[heroin]] possession in [[South Dakota]], and was sentenced to probation.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/18/us/robert-kennedy-jr-admits-he-is-guilty-in-possessing-heroin.html Robert Kennedy Jr. Admits He Is Guilty In Possessing Heroin] (Feb. 18, 1984) ''AP'' via ''The New York Times''.</ref> In 2002, he was also convicted of criminal trespass at the Vieques, [[Puerto Rico]] military base for his part in a [[civil disobedience]] action against [[pollution]] of the island by the military.<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/289/16/483656/ United States, Appellee, v. Rafael Ayala Ayala, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Dennis Hickey Rivera, and Armando Torres Ortíz, Defendants, Appellants, 289 F.3d 16 (1st Cir. 2002)] (Heard March 4, 2002; Decided April 29, 2002) ''Justia''.</ref> For this, he was incarcerated for 30 days either in jail (as most news sources have reported) or in a maximum security prison by his own account.<ref>[https://unherd.com/2023/05/robert-kennedy-jr-america-needs-a-revolution/ Freddie Sayers] by Freddie Sayers (May 3, 2023) ''UnHerd''.</ref> He was temporarily relieved of his {{wpl|compulsive sexual behaviour disorder}} during his incarceration.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2013/09/08/rfk-jr-s-sex-diary-of-adultery/ RFK’s sex diary: His secret journal of affairs] by Isabel Vincent & Melissa Klein (Published Sep. 8, 2013; Updated June 20, 2023, 7:33 a.m. ET) ''New York Post''.</ref><ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/174667/rfk-jr-compulsive-womanizer RFK Jr. Was a Compulsive Womanizer, and Yes, We Should Care: The presidential candidate might be the political outcast of his family, but he inherited his father’s and uncle’s disregard for women.] by Nina Burleigh (August 1, 2023) ''The New Republic''.</ref>

===Dumping a bear carcass on public property===
In 2014, a bear cub was found dead beneath some bushes that had a bicycle sticking out in the middle of Central Park in [[New York City]]. Many residents were disturbed by this occurrence, and as it was unlikely that a bear cub would wander so far into an urban area the NYPD was investigating this as animal cruelty, but the mystery wasn't solved and the case vanished from the public's memories.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/bear-cub-found-dead-in-central-park-nypd-investigating-as-animal-cruelty/ Bear Cub Found Dead In Central Park; NYPD Investigating As Animal Cruelty] (6 October 2014) ''CBS New York''.</ref> That was until a decade later, the ''[[New York Post]]'' was about to publish a story about the mystery including a photo of Kennedy with his hand in the dead bear's mouth.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2024/08/05/us-news/rfk-jr-posed-with-dead-bear-cub-before-dumping-it-in-central-park/ Graphic pic shows RFK Jr. posing with dead bear cub before dumping it in Central Park] by Ronny Reyes (Aug. 5, 2024, 11:54 a.m. ET) 'New York Post''.</ref> Kennedy decided he needed to get ahead of the story and so preemptively admitted that he was responsible in an interview with fellow-[[kook]] {{wpl|Roseanne Barr||.}}<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/roseanne-tries-to-distance-herself-from-rfk-jrs-dead-bear-cub-confession Roseanne Tries to Distance Herself From RFK Jr.’s Dead Bear Cub Confession] by Eboni Boykin-Patterson (Aug. 05, 2024) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref> According to Kennedy, when he was going {{wpl|falconry|falconing}} in upstate [[New York]], he saw a bear cub get hit by someone else's car and decided to put the carcass in the back of the van so he could eat it later, but as he was running late to catch a plane, he decided instead to dump the carcass in Central Park alongside a bicycle he wanted to get rid of in order to make it look like the cub was killed in a cycling accident.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-admits-dead-bear-cub-old-bicycle-central-park-10-years-ago/ RFK Jr. admits putting dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park nearly 10 years ago] (5 August 2024) ''CBS News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2j3353vvdvo RFK Jr admits dumping bear carcass in New York's Central Park] by Phil McCausland (July 5, 2024) ''BBC News''.</ref> These offenses of possession of a bear without a tag and illegal disposal of a bear would have been worth $250 in fines, but he could no longer be charged as the statute of limitations had passed.<ref>[https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/new-york/2024/08/05/rfk-jr-dumped-bear-central-park-could-he-face-charges-nysdec/74678945007/ Can RFK Jr. be charged for dumping dead bear in Central Park? Here's what NYSDEC says] by Chris McKenna (5 August 2024) ''lohud''.</ref> Bears can host parasitic worms, and RFK Jr. made the unlikely speculation that he may have gotten his brain worm from the bear, unlikely because he did not eat the bear.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2024/08/05/nx-s1-5063939/rfk-jr-central-park-bear-bicycle RFK Jr. admits to dumping a dead bear in Central Park, solving a decade-old mystery] by Rachel Treisman (August 5, 202410:16 AM ET) ''NPR''.</ref> Was his pre-existing worm seeking a mate?

===General nastiness===
Prior to RFK's confirmation hearing as head of the DHS, his cousin Caroline Kennedy in a letter to Senators prior to his confirmation. She described his "basement, garage and dorm as being an epicenter for drug use, where he would also put baby chickens and mice in blenders to feed to his hawks." She said that it was a "It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence". She also wrote that RFK's own children had been vaccinated, but he [[hypocritically]] preyed upon desperate parents to not vaccinate their own children.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/caroline-kennedy-says-her-cousin-rfk-jr-is-a-predator-in-a-warning-letter-to-senators Caroline Kennedy calls cousin RFK Jr. a 'predator' in warning letter to senators] by Amanda Seitz & Lisa Mascaro (Jan 28, 2025 4:15 PM EST) ''Associated Press'' via ''PBS''.</ref>

==Riverkeeper==
Prior to becoming an antivaxxer, Kennedy worked for the Riverkeeper [[environmentalist]] organization as an attorney. He helped to win lawsuits against polluters and brought large donations to the organization from his [[celebrity]] connections. He was also known as a serial [[Deceit|fabricator]] among his colleagues, even going so far as to lie about founding Riverkeeper on his resignation letter. More damaging though was his hiring of a convicted wildlife smuggler to serve on the organization, which caused the actual founder and several board members to resign. A former treasurer of Riverkeeper who had resigned with the other board members believed that Kennedy had not changed from his time at Riverkeeper to his time as antivaxxer, by his use of omitting and distorting facts to manipulate people.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/02/robert-f-kennedy-jr-rfk-riverkeeper-egg-smuggler How RFK Jr. hiring a bird smuggler threw his environmental group into turmoil] by Peter Jamison (March 2, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Officially, Kennedy Jr. resigned from Riverkeeper in 2017. In reality, Riverkeeper staff, increasingly tired of Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccination [[bullshit]], revolted when Kennedy Jr. met with [[Donald Trump]] in January 2017 and afterwards claimed that Trump asked him to chair a "commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity" (a claim denied by Trump officials). Under pressure, rather than being forced out of the organization, Kennedy Jr. agreed to resign instead. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaccination stances had previously led to similar conflicts and resignations with other environmental groups (such as the {{wpl|Natural Resources Defense Council}}) prior to this event.<ref name="vfairexpose"/>

==Anti-vaccine activism==
[[File:Robert Kennedy Jr. speech 2.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Kennedy gives a speech in [[Illinois]], 2007.]]
{{cquote|They get the shot, that night they have a fever of a hundred and three,<ref group=note>103°F = 39.4°C in adults is considered the danger level.</ref> they go to [[sleep]], and three months later their [[brain]] is gone. This is a [[holocaust]], what this is doing to our country.|||Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wins the "What The Fuck Is He Talking About?" Award for April 2015.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/robert-kennedy-jr-compares-vaccine-debate-holocaust-california-lawmakers-banning-exemptions/ Robert Kennedy Jr. Compares Vaccine Debate To Holocaust As California Lawmakers Look At Banning Exemptions] (April 8, 2015 / 12:00 AM PDT) ''CBS News.''</ref>}}
{{cquote|What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant … I don’t want to seem like I’m being evasive, but I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me.|||RFK in 2025, yet it has never stopped him from giving medical advice<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/14/rfk-jr-kennedy-senate-house-hearings RFK Jr tells Congress ‘people shouldn’t take medical advice from me’: Health secretary demurs on questions about vaccine stance and defends Republican plans to cut healthcare] by Jessica Glenza (14 May 2025 17.41 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>}}

At one point, Kennedy co-hosted a [[liberal talk radio]] show called ''Ring of Fire'', syndicated by Westwood One. Any of his broadcasts from before the pandemic had the exact same message, just in a more broadly palatable way with all of the less-savoury stuff [[Just asking questions|firmly sandwiched in deniability]].<ref>[https://trofire.com/2017/01/11/rof-responds-corporate-medias-anti-vaxxer-attack-rfk-jr/ ROF Responds to the Corporate Media’s Anti-Vaxxer Attack on RFK, Jr.] by Gary Bentley (January 11, 2017) ''The Ring of Fire Network''.</ref> Kennedy departed from the show sometime in 2018.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180404152506/https://trofire.com/our-show/ About Us] ''The Ring of Fire Network'' (archived on 2018 April 4).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181031115135/https://trofire.com/our-show/ About Us] ''The Ring of Fire Network'' (archived on 2018 October 31).</ref>

Many of Kennedy's previous court cases involved claims of product safety violations and pollution by [[corporation]]s. Since 2005, he has succumbed to [[vaccine hysteria]] and makes the sad mistake of [[Autism and pseudoscience|peddling false hope]] regarding the [[Anti-vaccination movement#Autism|vaccine/autism conspiracy theory]]. Kennedy wrote an article "Deadly Immunity" for ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Salon'' in 2005 alleging a link between vaccinations and autism; both outlets retracted that story in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retractionwatch.com/2011/01/16/salon-retracts-2005-robert-f-kennedy-jr-piece-on-alleged-autism-vaccine-link/|title=
Salon retracts 2005 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. piece on alleged autism-vaccine link|work=Retraction Watch|date=January 16, 2011|accessdate=February 20, 2025|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718110151/http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/salon-retracts-2005-robert-f-kennedy-jr-piece-on-alleged-autism-vaccine-link/|archivedate=July 18, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, [[Donald Trump]] considered Kennedy for a "vaccine safety" committee in 2018.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/21/trump-vaccination-safety-commission-robert-kennedy-autism Trump appears to abandon vaccine sceptic group denounced by scientists: Robert F Kennedy Jr claimed to be leading a review of links to autism – a widely debunked claim – but now says he hasn’t heard from the White House in months] by David Smith (21 Feb 2018 07.15 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>[https://www.factcheck.org/2023/08/scicheck-what-rfk-jr-gets-wrong-about-autism/ What RFK Jr. Gets Wrong About Autism] by Kate Yandell (August 10, 2023) ''FactCheck.org''.</ref> This is the point where his family members distanced themselves from him.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/robert-f-kennedy-jr-family-anti-vaxx-measles-outbreak-a8905526.html Robert F Kennedy Jr's family slam his anti-vaccine views in wake of measles outbreak: 'He is spreading dangerous misinformation'] Stevenson, C. (May 8, 2019) ''The Independent''.</ref> In addition, Kennedy endorsed the conspiracy theory that the Republicans rigged the [[2004 U.S. presidential election|2004 election]].<ref name="elex">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060614224028/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen Was the 2004 Election Stolen?] by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (15 June 2006) ''Rolling Stone'' no. 1002, pp. 46-114 (archived from June 14, 2006).</ref> He is one of the "Disinformation Dozen", who are the twelve people behind 65% of all vaccine misinformation shared on [[social media]].<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2021/05/13/996570855/disinformation-dozen-test-facebooks-twitters-ability-to-curb-vaccine-hoaxes Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows] by Shannon Bond (14 May 2021) ''NPR''.</ref>

Kennedy's anti-vaccination group '''Children’s Health Defense''' (CHD) (formerly called the '''World Mercury Project''') was one of the top two groups that spread misinformation about vaccines on [[Facebook]] via anti-vaccination [[advertisement]]s in 2019.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/11/15/majority-anti-vaccine-ads-facebook-were-funded-by-two-groups/ Majority of anti-vaccine ads on Facebook were funded by two groups] by Lena H. Sun (2019 November 15) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Facebook (sort of) finally started to crack down on groups that spread [[bullshit]] like this in 2020. CHD responded by suing Facebook for "[[censorship]]".<reF>[https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/08/anti-vaccine-group-sues-facebook-claims-fact-checking-is-censorship/ Anti-vaccine group sues Facebook, claims fact-checking is "censorship"] by Kate Cox (2020 August 18) ''Ars Technica''.</ref> (Despite his prior experience as a lawyer, Kennedy somehow failed to recognize what long-established case law currently says. Generally speaking, what's protected by the [[First Amendment]] in this case is {{wpl|Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo|Facebook's right to utilize editorial judgment to prevent the publication of bullshit on their platform.}}). The damage by Facebook's [[laissez-faire]] attitude prior to 2020 had already been done however, Children’s Health Defense and three other antivax and [[COVID-19 denialism|COVID denialist]] groups profited and expanded enormously during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name=weber>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/02/21/covid-misinformation-earnings Tax records reveal the lucrative world of covid misinformation] by Lauren Weber (February 21, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The three other groups were [[Del Bigtree]]'s Informed Consent Action Network, {{wpl|Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance}} and [[Simone Gold]]'s America’s Frontline Doctors.<ref name=weber/>

In 2022, Kennedy spoke a 2020 anti-vaxxer rally in [[Germany]] sponsored by the [[far-right]] [[National Democratic Party of Germany]] that included [[neo-Nazis]] and [[Hare Krishnas]].<ref>[https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/zehntausende-demonstrieren-in-berlin-gegen-die-corona-massnahmen-5374549.html Bibelsprüche, Trommeltanz und Faschisten: Zehntausende demonstrieren in Berlin gegen die Corona-Maßnahmen: Impfgegner und Neonazis, Trump-Fans und Hare-Krishna-Tänzer – gegen die Corona-Politik demonstrieren Menschen, die sonst wenig miteinander verbindet] by Hannes Heine (29.08.2020, 19:23 Uhr) ''Tagesspiegel''.</ref> In response to a ''[[Daily Kos]]'' blogger reporting about Kennedy's speaking at the rally,<ref>[https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/29/1973395/-Anti-Vaxxer-RFK-JR-joins-neo-Nazis-in-massive-Berlin-Anti-Corona-Protest Anti-Vaxxer RFK JR. joins neo-Nazis in massive Berlin 'Anti-Corona' Protest] by DowneastDem (August 29, 2020 at 3:06:44p PDT) ''Daily Kos''.</ref> the blogger was [[bullied]] by Kennedy and by his lawyer, Robert Barnes.<ref name=bredderman>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jr-allegedly-tried-to-bully-dailykos-blogger-david-vickrey-after-appearing-at-far-right-rally-in-germany How ‘Free Speech’ Warrior RFK Tried to Bully a DailyKos Blogger: Robert Kennedy Jr. hired Kyle Rittenhouse’s lawyer to threaten a lawsuit against an anonymous writer who documented the anti-vaxxer’s appearance at a far-right German rally.] by William Bredderman (Updated Sep. 08, 2023 2:23AM EDT; Published Sep. 07, 2023 8:03PM EDT) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref> The duo had threatened a lawsuit against the blogger unless the blogger took down the article, and consequently put the lie to Kennedy being pro-[[free speech]].<ref name=bredderman/>

===Starting a measles outbreak in American Samoa===
{{cquote|In 2018 Kennedy involved himself in a largely forgotten vaccine controversy in the [[American Samoa]]n islands. That year, two children died after receiving the [[MMR vaccine]], sparking an island-wide furor. Though it was later revealed that two nurses made a critical error administering the vaccines, accidentally introducing expired muscle relaxants into the formula, Kennedy’s nonprofit took to social media to [[Hyperbole|hype]] the deaths as evidence of vaccine dangers.<br>
Under public pressure, the Samoan prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi halted MMR vaccines on the island. In June of 2019 Kennedy and Hines flew to Samoa, lending celebrity wattage to local anti-vaccine advocates, giving press interviews, and taking a private meeting with the PM.<br>
Over the ensuing months, the island was hit by the largest measles outbreak in its history, infecting 5,707 citizens and killing 83 people, most of them children. The outbreak was so lethal, the prime minister declared a state of emergency and ordered mandatory vaccinations, eventually curtailing the spread.|||''Vanity Fair.''<ref name="vfairexpose"/>}}

Three years after Kennedy's disastrous presence in Samoa, he characterized the measles outbreak as "mild",<ref name=rfk>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230519083925/https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/lsamoa-medical-freedom-hero-court-case-dismissed/ Leading Samoa Medical Freedom Hero Goes Free After Court Case Dismissed] by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (02/18/21) ''Children's Health Defense''.</ref> while [[Irony|cluelessly]] linking to the pro-vaccination UNICEF article about their response to combatting the outbreak with a vaccination campaign.<ref name=rfk/><ref>[https://www.unicef.org/pacificislands/press-releases/vaccination-vital-protect-pacific-communities-against-measles Vaccination vital to protect Pacific communities against measles] (06 November 2019) ''UNICEF''.</ref>

In 2024, after Kennedy's nomination to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), {{wpl|Alec Ekeroma|Aiono Prof Alec Ekeroma|,}} the director general of health for American Samoa's Health Ministry, said that should Kennedy lead the DHHS, he "will be directly responsible for killing thousands of children around the world by allowing preventable infectious diseases to run rampant."<ref name=westfall>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/15/rfk-jr-global-health-samoa-kennedy/ Global health experts sound alarm over RFK Jr., citing Samoa outbreak: Experts and officials said a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa, which came after a visit by Kennedy, exemplified the dangers of his rhetoric.] by Sammy Westfall & Lena H. Sun (November 15, 2024 at 6:58 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Several other health and medical experts have also called the idea of Kennedy's appointment to lead the DHHS as disastrous not just for US health but for global health because the US [[Food and Drug Administration]] (part of DHHS) has been a global leader in health standards.<ref name=westfall/>

During Kennedy's confirmation testimony under oath, he lied ([[perjury]]) that his trip to Samoa had "nothing to do with vaccines".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/06/rfk-jr-samoa-trip Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak. Kennedy later said the purpose of his trip had nothing to do with vaccines. US embassy and UN staff at the time said otherwise, emails show] by Michelle R. Smith & Ali Swenson (Feb 2026 07.11 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

===Anti-epidemiology activism===
Although it can be accurately argued that his anti-vaccine activism is in itself a form of opposition to the research and treatment of infectious diseases, Kennedy is elsewhere quite explicit in that anyhow. He promised to order the National Institutes of Health to cease any research of infectious diseases for "about eight years" if elected president; he believes they should research [[obesity]] and diabetes instead (a view that presents this as a [[false dichotomy]] or [[zero sum game]]).<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/rfk-jr-comes-home-anti-vaccine-group-commits-break-us-infectious-disea-rcna123551 RFK Jr. comes 'home' to his anti-vaccine group, commits to 'a break' for U.S. infectious disease research] by Brandy Zadrozny (November 3, 2023) ''NBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/robert-f-kennedy-jr-comes-home-to-his-antivax-roots-again/ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comes home to his antivax roots…again] by David Gorski (November 6, 2023) ''Science-Based Medicine''.</ref> He also said in June 2023: "I do not believe that infectious disease is an enormous threat to human health."<ref name="ThreatToHealth"/> That pretty well speaks for itself. He has also attempted to tie the true cause of various diseases (even [[World War I#The Spanish Flu|"Spanish Flu"]]) to vaccine research, and has even promoted [[HIV/AIDS denialism]].<ref name="ThreatToHealth">[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rfk-kennedy-anti-vaccine-panel-conspiracies-hiv-spanish-flu-1234779689/ RFK Jr. Claims 'Vaccine Research' Likely Responsible for HIV and the Spanish Flu] by Nikki McCann Ramirez & Miles Klee (June 27, 2023) ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> The proposed end of infectious disease research essentially amounts to [[germ theory denialism]], or at least serious callousness on his part, since significant numbers of deaths in the United States are due to infectious bacterial diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, salmonella, [[Lyme disease]] and meningococcal disease).<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/infectious-disease.htm Infectious Disease] ''Centers for Disease Control''.</ref> Infectious diseases also cause many deaths caused abroad.<ref>[https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death The top 10 causes of death] (December 9, 2020) ''World Health Organization''. Quote: "People living in a low-income country are far more likely to die of a communicable disease than a noncommunicable disease. Despite the global decline, six of the top 10 causes of death in low-income countries are communicable diseases."</ref> As confirmation of Kennedy's germ theory denialism, he was photographed walking barefoot out of an airplane toilet, and  issuing a non-apology apology for doing this while he was barefoot in the airport waiting area.<ref>[https://www.tmz.com/2023/11/14/robert-f-kennedy-jr-responds-barefoot-plane-photo-more-bare-feet-airport-terminal/ RFK Jr. Responds to Barefoot Plane Photo Debate, Doubles Down on Baring Toes] (11/14/2023 11:34 AM PT) ''TMZ''.</ref>{{efn|Walking barefoot on wet floors in public areas (locker rooms, pools, and presumably toilets) is actually a risk factor for getting plantar warts (a virus).<ref>[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20352691 Plantar warts] ''Mayo Clinic''.</ref>}} Somebody tell him he might accidentally step on a vaccine needle, please.

==COVID conspiracy theories==
[[File:RFK Jr. book Dirt Cowboy Cafe 7 South Main Street downtown Hanover NH July 2023.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Copies of RFK Jr's conspiracy theory book displayed next to a photo of his uncle (who is turning in his grave).]]
{{cquote|The issue with Kennedy is that he long ago entered his own [[Walled garden|curated world]] of [[pseudoscience]], in which every respectable position was presumptively false and every major world event presumptively engineered by secretive [[elite]]s. This is a mental model that has no braking system. Kennedy can only go further and further into his fever swamp, and every effort to contradict him merely demonstrates that his enemies are determined to silence him.|||Johnathan Chait<ref name="chait">[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/07/rfk-jrs-conspiracy-theories-finally-get-around-to-the-jews.html Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Conspiracy Theories Finally Get Around to the Jews: COVID-19 was “ethnically targeted”? Uh, sure.] by Johnathan Chait (July 15, 2023) ''New York Intelligencer''.</ref>}}
Unsurprisingly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kennedy started regurgitating many of the other [[conspiracy theories]] that sprang up during that time period, such as conspiracy theories surrounding [[Bill Gates]]<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/08/15/debunked-bill-gates-conspiracy-gets-a-boost-from-rfk-jr-marla-maples/ Debunked Bill Gates Conspiracy Gets A Boost From RFK Jr., Marla Maples] by Carlie Porterfield (2020 August 15) ''Forbes''.</ref> and [[5G]].<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/05/how-robert-f-kennedy-jr-became-anti-vaxxer-icon-nightmare How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Became the Anti-vaxxer Icon of America’s Nightmares] by Keziah Weir (May 13, 2021) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> Kennedy's embrace of conspiracy theories extended to believing the COVID-19 hysteria story that [[2019-20 COVID-19 outbreak#Blaming Bill Gates|Bill Gates was going to put microchips in vaccines]].<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/08/15/debunked-bill-gates-conspiracy-gets-a-boost-from-rfk-jr-marla-maples/ Debunked Bill Gates Conspiracy Gets A Boost From RFK Jr., Marla Maples] by Carlie Porterfield (2020 August 15) Forbes''.</ref> On September 29, 2021, Kennedy (along with fellow anti-vaccination advocate [[Joseph Mercola]]) was booted off [[YouTube]] for being a prominent spreader of anti-vaccination bullshit.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/technology/youtube-anti-vaxx-ban.html YouTube bans all anti-vaccine misinformation] by Davey Alba (September 29 2021) ''New York Times''.</ref>

One of Kennedy's favorite rhetorical devices is to evoke [[Nazi analogies]] by comparing vaccines and other COVID-19 public health safety measures to [[Nazis]] and the [[Holocaust]]. On January 25, 2022, for instance, Kennedy was widely denounced for comparing vaccine-mandate opponents to [[Jews]] who hid from Nazis during the Holocaust, even implying that for some reason {{wpl|Anne Frank}} actually had it better than the so-called "[[fascism]]" that National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) head {{wpl|Anthony Fauci}} was orchestrating. This was hardly the first time that Kennedy had used Nazi analogies in his remarks on the subject.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/correction-kennedy-anne-frank-story-82468606 RFK Jr. remarks on Anne Frank, vaccines draw condemnation] by Michelle R. Smith (2022 January 25) ''Associated Press''.</ref><ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-apologizes-for-referencing-anne-frank-in-wild-anti-vax-speech/ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Apologizes for Referencing Anne Frank in Wild Anti-Vax Speech] by Ken Meyer (2022 January 25) ''Mediaite''.</ref>

===Feud with Fauci===
In mid-November 2021, Kennedy wrote ''The Real Anthony Fauci'', a book of conspiratorial [[bullshit]] linking Gates, Fauci, and [[Big Pharma]] to some kind of "Global War On Democracy and Public Health",<ref name=real>[https://archive.org/details/robert-f.-kennedy-the-real-anthony-fauci-bill-gates-big-pharma-2021/mode/2up ''The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health (Children’s Health Defense)''] by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (2021) Skyhorse Publishing/Children's Health Defense.</ref> which earned Kennedy high endorsements from the [[conspiracy theorists]] and/or [[alternative medicine]] folks that you'd expect (e.g. [[Tucker Carlson]], [[Mike Adams]], {{wpl|Robert W. Malone||,}} [[Joseph Mercola]], [[Sayer Ji]], [[Sherri Tenpenny]], etc.).

Later, in an interview done by {{wpl|Spin (magazine)|SPIN}} in January 2022, Kennedy promoted the sort of conspiracy [[bullshit]] that fueled this book:<ref name="spininterview">[https://www.spin.com/2022/01/robert-f-kennedy-jr-interview-2022/ The Outsider] by Bob Guccione Jr (January 17, 2022 - 2:32 pm) ''SPIN''.</ref>
* Kennedy made an unsupported conspiratorial claim that an early drug to treat [[HIV]], {{wpl|Zidovudine|AZT}} (which he falsely claimed to be a {{wpl|chemotherapy}} drug), ended up causing "dramatically shortened" lives (also a false claim).<ref>[https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/claims-that-people-were-being-killed-by-zidovudine-azt-instead-of-aids-are-unsubstantiated/ Claims that people were being killed by zidovudine (AZT) instead of AIDS are unsubstantiated] by Fernanda Ferreira (06 Sep 2021) ''Health Feedback''.</ref> Naturally, since Fauci was involved in HIV drug research at the time, Kennedy uses these falsehoods to attack him as an agent of Big Pharma who conspired to promote expensive drugs at the expense of cheap generics in order to pad Big Pharma profits. To further this argument, he bizarrely stated that a medicine called {{wpl|pentamidine}} was very effective against HIV. (Pentamidine does not treat HIV directly; it was approved by the [[FDA]] in 1989 to treat {{wpl|pneumocystis carinii pneumonia||,}} a condition largely seen (but not exclusively) in AIDS patients, and at present is far from the only drug available to treat this condition.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2666972/ Aerosolized pentamidine in HIV. Promising new treatment for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.] by G. M. Sarti (1989) ''Postgrad Med.'' 86(2):54-6, 59-60, 63, passim. doi:10.1080/00325481.1989.11704352.</ref><ref>[https://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/guide/aids-hiv-opportunistic-infections-pneumocystis-pcp-pneumonia Pneumocystis Pneumonia (PCP)] (reviewed on 2021 December 4) WebMD''.</ref>)
* Kennedy promoted [[hydroxychloroquine]] and [[ivermectin]], similarly believing that these drugs were being oppressed solely due to [[Big Pharma]] not wanting to promote out-of-[[patent]] medications. Contrary to the medical literature of the time, he also believed that these medications worked. To prove this, he cited high usage of these drugs in Africa and Asia, and low death rates per capita in many nations in these continents. (This, of course, completely ignores that perhaps other factors contributed to these low mortality rates, such as massive under-reporting in Africa,<ref>[https://qz.com/africa/2079064/only-one-in-seven-cases-of-covid-19-in-africa-is-reported/ Why you’re not hearing about Covid-19 outbreaks in Africa] by Annalisa Merelli (2021 October 26) ''QZ''.</ref> and greater acceptance of public health measures such as [[face masks]] in many Asian countries.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/world/asia/japan-coronavirus-masks.html Is the Secret to Japan’s Virus Success Right in Front of Its Face?] by Motoko Rich (2020 June 6) New York Times''.</ref> This also ignores the high mortality rate in other countries that also use hydroxychloroquine to treat {{wpl|malaria}} and ivermectin to treat {{wpl|river blindness||,}} such as many Latin American countries.<ref>{{wpa|COVID-19 pandemic death rates by country}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8050401/ Ivermectin against COVID-19: The unprecedented consequences in Latin America.] by Marcelo Beltrão Molento (2021) ''One Health'' 13:100250. doi:10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100250.</ref>) 
* He repeated an unproven theory,<ref>[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fauci-gain-function-covid/ Did Fauci Fund ‘Gain of Function’ Research, Thereby Causing COVID-19 Pandemic?] by Madison Dapcevich (2021 May 20) ''Snopes''.</ref> often iterated and grossly exaggerated by [[Rand Paul]] and [[Tucker Carlson]], that "gain of function" research in Wuhan may have been a factor in starting the pandemic.
* He insisted that the COVID-19 virus was man-made, citing a theory that linked the COVID-19 virus to the {{wpl|Mòjiāng virus||,}}<ref>''The Wuhan Cover-Up and the Terrifying Bioweapons Arms Race'' by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (2023) Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781510773998.</ref> a theory which has been discredited in a January 2022 study.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8490156/ Frutos R, Javelle E, Barberot C, Gavotte L, Tissot-Dupont H, Devaux CA. Origin of COVID-19: Dismissing the Mojiang mine theory and the laboratory accident narrative] ''Environmental Research'' 2022;204(Pt B):112141. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.112141</ref>
* He bizarrely compared Australian [[COVID-19]] quarantine hotels, used to isolate unvaccinated travellers returning to the country for 14 days to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk,<ref name="spininterview"/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220730031618/https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/i-have-covid/isolation/government-nominated-accommodation Quarantine in government-nominated accommodation] ''Queensland Government'' (archived from July 30, 2022).</ref> to "[[concentration camps]]".
* He claimed, without any foundation, that COVID-19 public health measures were a "[[coup d'état]] against [[democracy]]".<ref name=real/><ref>[https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e How a Kennedy built an anti-vaccine juggernaut amid COVID-19] by Michelle R. Smith (8:03 AM PST, December 15, 2021) ''Associated Press''.</ref>
* To top things off, he endorsed the ''[[Epoch Times]]'' as the best source for [[fake news|"real news"]],<ref name="spininterview"/> if for no other reason than he gets voluminous favorable coverage there.<ref>[https://archive.ph/BvMtZ Robert F. Kennedy Jr] ''Epoch Times'' (archived from 20 Nov 2024 06:39:59 UTC).</ref>

When confronted by the interviewer with the fact that new COVID-19 cases at the time were overwhelmingly the un-vaccinated, he [[Handwave|handwaved]] away this argument by claiming that this was the result of "crazy [[statistical]] gimmicks", citing a bit of his "statistical dancing" of his own imagination to "prove" this.<ref name="spininterview"/>

Fauci responded by calling Kennedy a "very disturbed individual" who was "just full of inaccuracies and distortions".<ref>[https://www.thewrap.com/dr-fauci-rfk-jr-shame-kennedys-disturbed-individual/ "Fauci Rips ‘Very Disturbed’ RFK Jr.’s Attacks on His Career: ‘It’s a Shame’ Because He’s a Kennedy"] by Jolie Lash (2021 December 22) ''The Wrap''.</ref>

===Ethnic bioweapon===
{{See also|ethnic bioweapon}}
{{cquote|The respite from [[antisemitism]] was doomed to end. Conspiracy theorists are drawn gravitationally to the Jews, and Kennedy was only able to defy it for so long before his natural and predetermined course set in.|||Johnathan Chait<ref name="chait"/>}}
On July 15 2023, the ''[[New York Post]]'' published a video at a press event in Manhattan, where Kennedy Jr. argued that COVID-19 was an "ethnically targeted" microbe ("COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and [[Chinese]].") with an implication that the virus was engineered.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/jewish-groups-condemn-rfk-jr-claim-covid-ethnic-targeting-1234789172/ Watch: RFK Jr. Claims Covid ‘Ethnically Targeted’ — Says Jewish and Chinese People Most Immune] by Daniel Kreps (July 15, 2023) ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> These comments triggered significant backlash, with multiple organizations accusing Kennedy of [[antisemitism]] and [[racism]]/Sinophobia. Multiple members of the Kennedy family likewise condemned the remarks as "deplorable", "hurtful", and "wrong".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/17/robert-f-kennedy-jr-covid-condemned "Family members join condemnation of Robert Kennedy Jr’s Covid remarks"] by Richard Luscombe (2023 July 17) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

Responding to the backlash, Kennedy took to [[Twitter]] to deny his seemingly antisemitic remarks. Instead, he claimed that [[moving the goalposts|what he ''meant'']] was that he believed the United States and other governments were developing ethnically targeted bio-weapons.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/15/rfk-jr-covid-19-ethnically-targeted-00106478 RFK Jr. denies comments on ‘ethnically targeted’ Covid-19 were anti-Semitic] by Lucy Hodgman (2023 July 15) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230715161130/https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1680227322509635595 "The @nypost story is mistaken. I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews. I accurately pointed out&nbsp;— during an off-the-record conversation&nbsp;— that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons and that a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns, and Ashkenazi Jews. In that sense, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons. I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered. That study is here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32664879/"] by @RobertKennedyJr (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) (2023 July 15) ''Twitter'' (archived on 2023 July 15).</ref> To "prove" his point, he cited a single study of a very narrow and specific topic (genetic susceptibility of COVID-19 due to various {{wpl|Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2|ACE2}} and {{wpl|TMPRSS2}} {{wpl|Polymorphism (biology)|polymorphisms}}<ref>[https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-020-01673-z New insights into genetic susceptibility of COVID-19: an ACE2 and TMPRSS2 polymorphism analysis.] by Yuan Hou et al. (2020) ''BMC Med.'' 18(1):216. doi:10.1186/s12916-020-01673-z.</ref>) that hardly justified Kennedy's sweeping claims.<ref>[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/rfk-jr-a-fart-filled-argument-gives-way-to-an-antisemitic-conspiracy-theory-that-covid-19-is-an-ethnically-targeted-bioweapon/ RFK Jr.: A fart-filled argument gives way to an antisemitic conspiracy theory that COVID-19 is an 'ethnically targeted' bioweapon] by David Gorski (July 17, 2023) ''Science-Based Medicine''.</ref>

Contrary to his idea, people of Chinese descent were among the most severely affected in [[New York]] in 2020. According to a study published in ''Public Health Reports'', Chinese New Yorkers from March 1 through May 31, 2020 actually had the highest mortality rate (35.7%) of any ethnicity observed.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34965776/ Disaggregating Asian Race Reveals COVID-19 Disparities Among Asian American Patients at New York City's Public Hospital System] by Roopa Kalyanaraman Marcello (2021) ''Public Health Reports'' 137(2):317-325. doi:10.1177/00333549211061313.</ref><ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/south-asian-chinese-new-yorkers-among-hardest-hit-covid-study-n1251457 South Asian, Chinese New Yorkers among the hardest hit by Covid, study shows] by Vignesh Ramachandran (December 17, 2020) ''NBC News''.</ref> That study didn't distinguish people of Jewish descent as a group, however Hasidic (a subcategory of [[Haredi]] Jews) communities in New York were noted at the time to have been hard-hit by COVID-19. One person in the community stated in April 2020, "There is not a single Hasidic family that has been untouched. It is a plague on a [[biblical]] scale."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/nyregion/coronavirus-jews-hasidic-ny.html 'Plague on a Biblical Scale': Hasidic Families Hit Hard by Virus"] by Liam Stack (April 21, 2020) ''The New York Times''.</ref>

==Presidential run==
[[File:Robert F Kennedy Jr Campaign Logo.png|thumb|right|325px|…in alienating your family members through your obsession with conspiracy theories!]]
In April 2023, Kennedy Jr. announced that he was running for US president in 2024 as a [[Democrat]], in a long-shot attempt to primary [[Joe Biden]].<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-jr-presidential-campaign-9fb5ed5c8e1fd31d2a4458d44b086593 Anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr. challenging Biden in 2024] by Michelle L. Price (April 5, 2023) ''The Associated Press''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65197673 Robert F Kennedy Jr to challenge Biden for White House] by Chloe Kim (2023 April 6) ''BBC News''.</ref> By and large, the rest of the Kennedy family strongly opposed his campaign, due to RFK Jr.'s conspiracy theories on vaccines and other topics.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/16/politics/robert-f-kennedy-family-biden-2024/index.html Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can’t count on family support to take on Biden] by Edward-Isaac Dovere (2023 April 16) ''CNN''.</ref>

Kennedy's campaign has been described as a Democratic version of Trump, a "cynical mix of [[Appeal to celebrity|star power]] and [[Deceit|misinformation]]" and a "dark strand of [[populism]] mixed with [[Delusions of grandeur|self-grandeur and self-created reality]]."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/15/rfk-jr-2024-campaign-trump-celebrity-conspiracy/ His name is Kennedy. His campaign is pure Trump.] by Matt Bai (May 15, 2023 at 7:15 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Kennedy has also been described as combining a smattering of [[progressive]] views (such as on [[Economic inequality|wealth inequality]]) with positions more in line with [[MAGA]] (e.g. [[anti-vaccination]] stances, aminosity towards {Anthony Fauci, and [[Vladimir Putin]] boot-licking on the [[Ukraine#2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]])<ref name="msnbckenop">[https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-blames-zelensky-for-russian-invasion-of-ukraine RFK Jr. Blames Zelensky and U.S. ‘NeoCons‘ for Russian Invasion of Ukraine] by Victor Swezey (2023 May 03) ''Daily Beast''.</ref><ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/robert-kennedy-jr-president-jack-dorsey-rcna87761 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appeal will also be his ruin] by Zeeshan Aleem (2023 June 6) ''MSNBC''.</ref><ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4063124-rfj-jr-says-russia-acting-in-good-faith-in-ukraine-invasion-us-in-part-to-blame-for-war/ RFK Jr. says Russia 'acting in good faith' in Ukraine invasion, US in part to blame for war] by Julia Shapero (June 22, 2023) ''The Hill''.</ref> and [[libertarians]] (e.g. his first appearance as a presidential candidate was at a [[cryptocurrency]] conference).<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/robert-kennedy-jr-make-campaign-debut-bitcoin-conference-rcna83123 Robert Kennedy Jr. to make campaign debut at bitcoin conference"] by Alex Seitz-Wald (2023 May 6) ''NBC News''.</ref><ref name="msnbckenop"/> 

In a sign of his heavy tilt, in defiance of his declared political affiliation, towards the [[crank]] side of [[Republicans]], on June 20 2023, Kennedy Jr. was announced as a guest speaker at a gathering in Philadelphia that month of the anti-government extremist group [[Moms for Liberty]],<ref>[https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/moms-liberty Moms for Liberty] ''Southern Poverty Law Center''.</ref><ref name="newsweekmom">[https://www.newsweek.com/conservatives-embrace-robert-f-kennedy-jr-1808241 Conservatives Embrace Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] by Nick Reynolds (2023 June 21) ''Newsweek''.</ref> a group who also made headlines that week when one chapter featured (and seemingly endorsed) an [[Adolf Hitler]] quote in their online newsletter.<ref name=indystar>[https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2023/06/21/moms-for-liberty-hamilton-county-indiana-quotes-hitler-in-newsletter/70344659007/ Moms for Liberty's Hamilton County chapter apologizes for quoting Hitler in newsletter] (2023 June 21) ''Indianapolis Star''.</ref>{{efn|The quote in the newsletter ("He alone, who OWNS the yourth, GAINS the future.") was not accidental, it explicitly acknowledged Hitler.<ref name=indystar/>}} Tellingly, also appearing at the conference were many of the [[Republican]] 2024 primary election candidates ([[Donald Trump]], [[Ron DeSantis]], [[Vivek Ramaswamy]], [[Nikki Haley]]),<ref>[https://www.rawstory.com/moms-for-liberty-promotes-rjk-jr/ Far-right 'Moms for Liberty' promotes RFK Jr. as guest speaker at national event] by Gideon Rubin (2023 June 20) ''RawStory''.</ref> as well as other conservative figures such as [[Dennis Prager]] and [[Heritage Foundation]] president Kevin Roberts.<ref name="newsweekmom"/> At the time of the announcement, Kennedy appeared to be the only Democrat scheduled to speak at this gathering.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/post/173831/hell-robert-f-kennedy-jr-speaking-moms-liberty-summit RFK Jr. Gives Away the Game With Decision to Speak at Moms for Liberty Summit] by Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani (2023 June 21) ''New Republic''.</ref> Prior to this, Kennedy had made appearances on podcasts hosted by other figures with a notable appetite for crankery, such as [[Joe Rogan]], [[Steve Bannon]], and [[Jordan Peterson]].<ref name="newsweekmom"/><ref>[https://slate.com/technology/2023/06/robert-f-kennedy-jr-joe-rogan-elon-musk-sacks-vaccines-ackman-palihapitiya.html What the Powerful Men Boosting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Really Want] by Jacob Silverman (June 20, 2023) ''Slate''.</ref>

[[File:Flynn-RFKJr-Bollinger-Stone.jpg|thumb|right|325px|The [[ratfucker]]s' choice! Left-to-right: [[QAnon]] promoter [[Michael Flynn]], RFK Jr., [[COVID-19 denialism|COVID denialist]] grifter [[Charlene Bollinger]], ratfucker-in-chief [[Roger Stone]]]]

As a sign of his appeal to crank libertarians, Kennedy was endorsed by former [[Twitter]] CEO [[Jack Dorsey]], most likely due to shared sympathies for cryptocurrencies.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/jack-dorsey-backs-anti-vaxxer-robert-f-kennedy-jr-president-2023-6 Jack Dorsey is backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — an anti-vaxxer who called Anthony Fauci a fascist — for president] by Aditi Bharade (2023 June 5) ''Business Insider''.</ref><ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/06/robert-f-kennedy-jr-his-anti-vax-conspiracies-found-home-twitter Have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and His Anti-vax Conspiracies Found a Home?] by Caleb Ecarma (2023 June 5) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> Also, in early June 2023, the then-current Twitter owner [[Elon Musk]] (fresh off of a disastrously botched presidential launch for [[Ron DeSantis]]) boosted Kennedy with an online audio chat on Twitter. During this chat, true to form, Kennedy blamed [[antidepressant|Prozac]] for the rise of [[mass shooting|mass shootings]] in America, claimed without evidence that "[[COVID-19|COVID]] was clearly a bioweapons problem", and was outspoken against the US military support of Ukraine.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/us/politics/robert-f-kennedy-jr-twitter-2024.html Robert Kennedy Jr., With Musk, Pushes Right-Wing Ideas and Misinformation] by Reid J. Epstein, Alyce McFadden and Linda Qiu (2023 June 5) ''New York Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.politico.com/newsletters/digital-future-daily/2023/06/07/rfk-jr-crashes-the-techno-politics-party-00100836 RFK Jr. crashes the techno-politics party] by Derek Robertson (2023 June 7) ''Politico''.</ref> Kennedy fielded questions during the chat from other public figures with similar stances to Musk and Kennedy, such as the Putin apologist [[Tulsi Gabbard]]<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/01/politics/tulsi-gabbard-cpac-ukraine-russia/index.html What is Tulsi Gabbard actually doing on Russia?] by Chris Cillizza (2022 March 1) ''CNN''.</ref> and the anti-progressive,<ref>[https://reason.com/podcast/2022/01/12/michael-shellenberger-how-progressives-ruined-american-cities/ Michael Shellenberger: How Progressives Ruined American Cities] by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller (2022 January 12) Reason''.</ref> anti-[[woke]],<ref>[https://nypost.com/2022/10/01/bidens-woke-green-energy-makes-us-dependent-on-china/ Biden’s ‘woke’ green energy is a joke that makes us dependent on China] by Michael Shellenberger (2022 October 1) ''New York Post''.</ref> anti-[[renewable energy]]<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/media/author-michael-shellenberger-left-green-agenda-environmental-nightmare Author Michael Shellenberger: The left's green agenda is an 'environmental nightmare'] (2022 October 4) Fox News''.</ref> and [[transphobic]] hysteric<ref>[https://48hills.org/2023/04/michael-shellenberger-who-says-progressives-ruin-cities-has-alarming-transphobic-tweets/ Michael Shellenberger, who says progressives ruin cities, has alarming transphobic tweets] by Tim Redmond (2023 April 3) ''48Hills''.</ref> {{wpl|Michael Shellenberger||.}}<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-conspiracy-theory-twitter-elon-musk-1234747479/ "RFK Jr. Blames Anti-Depressants for School Shootings"] by Miles Klee (2023 June 5) ''Rolling Stone''.</ref>

In California, Kennedy and his running-mate Shanahan were on the [[American Independent Party]] ticket, which has long been associated with [[segregationist]]s and [[racists]], starting with its founder, [[George Wallace]].<ref name=kornfield>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/02/rfk-jr-california-ballot-american-independent-party/ RFK Jr. embraces California ballot nomination from party with history of far-right ties: The American Independent Party of California, which backed segregationist and former Alabama governor George Wallace in 1968, nominated Kennedy for president.] by Meryl Kornfield (May 2, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Kennedy has claimed that the party has changed since its founding, but the evidence seems otherwise: in the 2020 Presidential Election raging antisemite [[Ye]] was their Vice Presidential candidate, and as recently as 2022, they were promoting their former chairman Robert J. Walters' [[racialist]] book.<ref name=kornfield/>

===Donors===
As of June 30, 2023, a plurality (38.5%) of his donors, among those who contributed the maximum individual amount (96 individuals total), were [[GOP]] donors. 19.8% were Democratic donors, 31.3% had no such history of recorded political contributions, 8.3% had donated to both parties, and 2.1% had donated to third parties.<ref>[https://popular.info/p/gop-donors-fuel-rfk-jrs-presidential GOP donors fuel RFK Jr's presidential campaign] by Judd Legum (July 17, 2023) ''Popular Information''.</ref><ref>[https://newrepublic.com/post/174371/rfk-jr-a-lot-gop-donors-someone-running-democrat RFK Jr. Sure Has a Lot of Skeezy GOP Donors for Someone Running as a Democrat] by Tori Otten (July 17, 2023) ''The New Republic''.</ref> The campaign reported that it had received about $6.3 million dollars in donations altogether, as of July 2023. At least $100,000 of that came from donors who were also Trump or DeSantis committee donors. Six notable big donors to RFK Jr.'s campaign, in particular, are hedge fund billionaire {{wpl|Bill Ackman}} (also a Vivek Ramaswamy fan), former PayPal executive {{wpl|David O. Sacks}} (an Elon Musk ally), billionaire {{wpl|Kenneth Fisher||,}} Wall Street banking executive Omeed Malik, former Bank of America executive Joe Voboril, and apparently even racist [[England|English]] [[music]]ian [[Eric Clapton]], despite the fact that such donations from foreign nationals would be illegal according to CNBC.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/15/rfk-fundraising-republicans-00106481 RFK Jr.'s secret fundraising success: Republicans] by Jessica Piper (July 15, 2023) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/14/bill-ackman-david-sacks-pac-donated-to-rfk-jr.html Investor Bill Ackman, David Sacks’ PAC donated to RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign] by Brian Schwartz (July 14, 2023) ''CNBC''.</ref><ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/rfk-jr-campaign-coffer-stuffed-by-gop-donors RFK Jr.'s Campaign Coffer Is Getting Stuffed to the Brim by GOP Donors: Report] by Caleb Ecarma (July 17, 2023) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> 

On July 31, 2023, a [[super PAC]] supporting RFK Jr., American Values 2024, released its mid-year financial disclosures. This disclosed that more than half ($5 million) of the PAC's money for the first half of 2023 ($9.8 million) came from GOP megadonor {{wpl|Timothy Mellon||.}} Mellon has previously donated millions of dollars to pro-Trump groups. A further $4.7 million came from another individual, {{wpl|Gavin de Becker||.}} De Becker was previously a donor to US Senator [[Ron Johnson]], a Republican, although de Becker otherwise identifies himself as a Democrat.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/31/politics/fec-filings-2024-pacs-donors/index.html Takeaways from presidential super PACs’ mid-year financial disclosures] by Melissa Holzberg DePalo and David Wright (August 1, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/republican-megadonor-fuels-rfk-jr-super-pac-rcna97195 Republican megadonor fuels pro-RFK Jr. super PAC] by Bridget Bowman and Alexandra Marquez (July 31, 2023) ''NBC News''.</ref>

Kennedy picked Nicole Shanahan as his running mate. Prior to being picked, she had been a major donor to the American Values PAC that supported Kennedy.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/28/american-values-pac-fundraiser-nicole-shanahan-00149628 Super PAC raises $2.1 million after RFK Jr. announced his running mate: Half that came from the super PAC’s co-founder.] by Brittany Gibson (03/28/2024 05:52 PM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref> She is the former spouse of [[Google]] co-founder Sergei Brin. Shanahan is also an anti-vaxxer, but she tries to confuse people by denying this and claiming that she is just skeptical of vaccines.<ref>[https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4563288-rfk-jr-nicole-shanahan-vaccine-skepticism/ RFK Jr.’s running mate Shanahan shares vaccine skepticism] by Nathaniel Weixel (03/29/24 9:42 AM ET) ''Politico''.</ref>

===Nothing bad ever happens to the Kennedys===
In September 2023, a man falsely impersonating a federal officer and wielding a loaded gun was arrested at an RFK Jr. event.<ref name="Wigglesworth">[https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-16/armed-man-impersonated-u-s-marshal-at-robert-kennedy-jr-campaign-event-police-say Armed man impersonated U.S. Marshal at Robert Kennedy Jr. campaign event, police say] by Alex Wigglesworth (September 16, 2023) ''The Los Angeles Times''.</ref> The Kennedy campaign claimed the man asked to be "immediately" taken to Kennedy and erroneously claimed to be part of his security detail.<ref name="Wigglesworth"/><ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/armed-man-arrested-rfk-jr-campaign-event-los/story Armed man arrested at RFK Jr. campaign event in Los Angeles charged with misdemeanors: LAPD] by Abby Nicholas Kerr  et al.(September 19, 2023) ''ABC News''.</ref> It doesn't take a genius to figure out this joker may have wanted to become the next [[Lee Harvey Oswald]].

===Switch to an independent run===
[[File:Jesse Ventura (53514290983).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Former pro-wrestler/[[Minnesota]] governor Jesse Ventura campaigning for Kennedy in the critical swing state of [[Arizona]] in 2024.]]
On October 9, 2023, Kennedy Jr. ended his primary challenge and announced that he was running for president as an independent.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/politics/kennedy-independent-campaign/index.html Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces independent run for president, ending Democratic primary challenge to Biden] by Aaron Pellish (2023 October 9) ''CNN''.</ref> Reports suggest that by March 2024, Kennedy and his team had approached at least half a dozen people to serve as his running mate on an independent ticket, including [[Tulsi Gabbard]], [[Rand Paul]] and [[Andrew Yang]], but that only fellow cranks {{wpl|Aaron Rodgers}} and [[Jesse Ventura]] had shown any interest.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/politics/rfk-jr-aaron-rodgers-jesse-ventura.html Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura Top R.F.K. Jr.’s List for Running Mate] by Rebecca Davis O’Brien (March 12, 2024) ''New York Times''.</ref> He received the nominations of the [[American Independent Party]]<ref name=kornfield /> and the [[Reform Party]].<ref>[https://reformparty.org/reform-party-nominated-robert-f-kennedy-for-president/ Reform Party Nominates Robert F. Kennedy for President] by Nicholas Hensley (23 May 2024) ''Reform Party USA''.</ref>

===''Vanity Fair'' exposé===
On July 2, 2024, the magazine {{wpl|Vanity Fair (magazine)|''Vanity Fair''}} posted a long expose of Kennedy with several disturbing and bizarre allegations. Among the revelations were an allegation that he bragged about eating a [[dog]] in Korea; that Kennedy was sexually involved with dozens of women during his marriage to second wife Mary Richardson; that Kennedy had a habit of texting nude photos of women to friends during this same marriage; and that in the late 1990s, Kennedy [[Rape|sexually assaulted]] a babysitter. The article also detailed his involvement in the {{wpl|Murder of Martha Moxley}} case, where Kennedy attested to the innocence of convicted murderer (and cousin) Michael Skakel with what Martha Moxley's mother Dorthy (and others) saw as a series of [[Deceit|twisted truths and flat out falsehoods]].<ref name="vfairexpose"/>

Kennedy denied the dog-eating allegation but brushed off other allegations in the article, calling the ''Vanity Fair'' article "a lot of garbage" but simultaneously stating "I'm not a church boy… I had a very, very rambunctious youth".{{efn|The alleged sexual assault occurred in 1999, when Kennedy was 45 years old. That's not exactly "youth".}} Kennedy also refused to comment on the alleged sexual assault.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rfk-jr-sexual-assault-babysitter-response-1235052376/ RFK Jr. Doesn’t Deny Alleged Sexual Assault of Babysitter: ‘I Am Not a Church Boy’] by Charisma Madarang (2024 July 2) ''Rolling Stone''.</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rfk-jr-says-he-has-skeletons-my-closet-after-sexual-assault-allegation-2024-07-02/ RFK Jr. says he has 'skeletons in my closet' after sexual assault allegation] by Stephanie Kelly (2024 July 2) ''Reuters''.</ref>

===There's a dead worm in my brain!===
[[File:Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (53514290788).jpg|thumb|right|335px|Sorry, but this image is too funny to not put here.]]
{{cquote|O Rose thou art sick.<BR>
The invisible worm,<BR>
That flies in the night<BR>
In the howling storm:<BR>

Has found out thy bed<BR>
Of crimson joy:<BR>
And his dark secret love<BR>
Does thy life destroy.|||William Blake<ref>[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43682/the-sick-rose The Sick Rose] by William Blake, ''Poetry Foundation''.</ref>}}
In 2024, RFK announced that there was a dead [[Parasite|parasitic]] worm in his brain, and that it was inoperable.<ref name=craig>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240509002819/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/us/rfk-jr-brain-health-memory-loss.html R.F.K. Jr. Says Doctors Found a Dead Worm in His Brain: The presidential candidate has faced previously undisclosed health issues, including a parasite that he said ate part of his brain.] by Susanne Craig (May 8, 2024; Updated 5:15 p.m. ET) ''The New York Times''.</ref> It was suspected to be a [[pork]] tapeworm, which is exceedingly rare in the United States, but that he may have picked up in his travels. He was also diagnosed with [[mercury]] poisoning apparently from his insatiable appetite for tunafish sandwiches, and with short- and long-term memory loss in 2012.<ref name=craig/> He claimed to have recovered from the memory loss, but gave the wrong answer about the worm:
{{quotebox|I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a [[debate]]. I feel confident of the result even with a six-worm handicap.<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/archive/Ohpls President Biden in a debate.] by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (1:54 PM · May 8, 2024) ''Twitter'' (archived from 09 May 2024 20:32:52 GMT).</ref>}}

==Alliance with Trump==
[[File:Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. & Donald Trump (53952973703).jpg|thumb|right|350px|Kennedy campaigns with Donald Trump in [[Arizona]].]]
===Dropping out to endorse Trump===
{{cquote|My fellow worms and Americans, It is I, your friend, the worm who ate part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s brain, then died. […] Ultimately, this came down to values. I say now what I have said this whole campaign: I am a parasite and I do not have the country’s best interests at heart. So it is clear to me now that I have no choice but to drop out of the race and support Donald Trump.|||Alexandra Petri<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240824140259/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/23/kennedy-trump-worm-humor-rfk/ RFK Jr.’s worm here: I guess I’m supporting Trump, too: There clearly is only one logical home for me in the 2024 election. I did not want to say so earlier for fear of alienating my host.] by Alexandra Petri (August 23, 2024 at 3:41 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post'' (archived from August 24, 2024).</ref>}}

In August 2024, following the judicial ruling that Kennedy is a resident of [[California]] and thus he is not [[Twelfth Amendment|constitutionally]] allowed to run for the presidency with a vice president from the same state (Nicole Shanahan of California),<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1jlgyzzyz4o RFK Jr denied NY ballot access over 'false' address, judge rules] by Brandon Drenon (13 August 2024) ''BBC''.</ref> the duo withdew from the race, and RFK Jr. endorsed Trump for president.<ref name="apsuspended"/> His decision to endorse Trump came after an alleged attempt to arrange a meeting to negotiate with Democratic candidate [[Kamala Harris]], an attempt which was apparently (and justifiably) snubbed.<ref> Allison Novelo. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-attempted-to-arrange-meeting-with-kamala-harris-sources-say/ RFK Jr. attempted to arrange meeting with Harris, sources say]. ''CBS News.'' August 15, 2024.</ref> The announcement also followed Shanahan's public grousing that she had to pay $19 million of her own money to get them on the ballot of 50 (or 49 states).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAqVn5lRdes RFK’s VP confirms they may drop out and endorse Trump. Inflation DNC | Nicole Shanahan] by Tom Bilyeu (Aug 20, 2024) ''YouTube''.</ref><ref>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nicole-shanahan-spent-almost-19-million-on-rfk-jr-s-failed-presidential-run-but-that-s-just-a-sliver-of-her-fortune/ar-AA1pkkXl Nicole Shanahan spent almost $19 million on RFK Jr.'s failed presidential run but that's just a sliver of her fortune] by Brent D. Griffiths (August 23, 2024) ''Business Insider'' via ''MSN''.</ref>

His announcement of the endorsement included a litany of complaints against the Democratic Party, including but not limited to, "abandoning democracy," not taking him seriously, conspiring against his campaign, victimizing him with "legal warfare," and nominating Harris without holding a primary.<ref name="trumpnegotiate">Katherine Koretski, Ben Kamisar, Henry J. Gomez, Garrett Haake and Dasha Burns. [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rfk-jr-says-court-filing-endorsing-trump-ending-presidential-hopes-rcna165936 RFK Jr. endorses Trump after weeks of back-channel courtship]. ''NBC News.'' Aug. 23, 2024.</ref> The real reason behind his endorsement was that Trump's campaign had noticed that Kennedy was primarily taking votes from Trump and was therefore willing to reach out to him and negotiate for his leaving the race and endorsing Trump.<ref name="trumpnegotiate"/> 

Kennedy had previously lambasted Trump and his followers in 2016 on his "Ring of Fire" radio show, calling Trump's followers "belligerent idiots", suggesting some were "outright Nazis" and "spineless [[fellow traveler]]s". Following Trump's victory in the 2016 election, Kennedy [[Nazi analogies|compared him to Hitler]] except that "Hitler was interested in policy."<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/politics/kfile-rfk-jr-trump-critique/index.html RFK Jr. compared Trump to Hitler and praised descriptions of his supporters as ‘Nazis’] by Andrew Kaczynski (November 21, 2024) ''CNN''.</ref> So who's the spineless fellow traveler, now?

===Campaigning for Trump===
[[File:Donald Trump & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (53953047624).jpg|thumb|right|300px|Kennedy speaks next to a very bored-looking Trump.]]
Pollster [[Nate Silver]] noted that Kennedy's endorsement coincided with a slight dip in Harris' polling and a boost for Trump.<ref>{{cite web | last=Liddell | first=James | title=RFK Jr’s endorsement of Trump moved needle more than Swift’s of Harris, pollster says | website=The Independent | date=2024-10-03 | url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/rfk-jr-trump-harris-taylor-swift-polls-election-b2623337.html | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> After teaming up with Trump, Kennedy frantically went about removing his name from the ballot in swing states to avoid cutting into Trump's vote share. His efforts were successful in [[Georgia]], [[North Carolina]], [[Arizona]] and [[Nevada]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Gibson | first=Brittany | title=RFK Jr. removes himself from four battleground state ballots | website=POLITICO | date=2024-09-27 | url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/27/rfk-background-state-ballots-00181481 | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> His efforts notably failed in [[Wisconsin]] and [[Michigan]], where he got into a legal slap-fight with both states due to their deadlines for ballot withdrawals having already passed.<ref>{{cite web | title=Supreme Court rejects RFK Jr.'s bids to have his name removed from Michigan and Wisconsin ballots | website=CBS News | date=2024-10-29 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kennedy-supreme-court-ballot-michigan-wisconsin/ | ref={{sfnref|CBS News|2024}} | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> 

Kennedy also became a frequent campaigner for Donald Trump, appearing as an opening act in many of Trump's events alongside fellow idiot [[Tulsi Gabbard]].<ref name="kenngabb">{{cite web | last=Cooper | first=Jonathan J. | title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becomes a frequent campaigner for Donald Trump | website=AP News | date=2024-09-16 | url=https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-rfk-jr-tulsi-gabbard-821f0edcb154ebcc023c834aacc249a8 | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> On 4 September, Kennedy attacked Harris as being unworthy of the presidency, saying, "I think we need to have a president who can give an interview, who can articulate a vision, who can put together an English sentence, who can articulate her and defend her policies and her record and who can engage in a debate with, and regular debates unscripted appearances, president or vice president."<ref>{{cite web | last=Nazzaro | first=Miranda | title=RFK Jr. rips Harris, says president should be able to ‘put together’ sentence in English | website=The Hill | date=2024-09-04 | url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4860996-robert-f-kennedy-jr-kamala-harris-donald-trump-2024-election/ | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> The [[irony]] appeared lost on Kennedy that he said this while backing a gaffe-machine with serious memory problems.<ref>[{{cite web | last=Basu | first=Zachary | title=Democrats play montage of Trump memory gaffes during Hur hearing | website=Axios | date=2024-03-12 | url=https://www.axios.com/2024/03/12/robert-hur-hearing-trump-memory-video | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> 

Whatever his many shortcomings, Kennedy proved effective at reaching the large cohort of voters who were expressing deep distrust towards the news media and government institutions.<ref>{{cite web | last=Cooper | first=Jonathan J. | title=In battleground Arizona, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. draws Biden and Trump voters united by distrust | website=AP News | date=2023-12-25 | url=https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-independent-phoenix-ce8ef411c13bb7d5fc4ddff198cbbac9 | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> His strange beliefs and his alienation from his family contributed to Kennedy's image of being an outsider who threatened the establishment.<ref name="kenngabb"/> Trump also adopted Kennedy's slogan "Make America Healthy Again."<ref name="kenngabb"/>

===Role in the second Trump administration=== 
[[File:Team Trump with the president-elect's favorite food.jpg|thumb|right|325px|Kennedy eats McDonald's with Team Trump after the 2024 election.<ref>[https://www.the-express.com/news/politics/155017/rfk-jr-donald-trump-mcdonalds Mortified RFK Jr caught with Big Mac in Trump McDonald's 'hazing' after calling it poison] by Debadrita Sur (Nov 17, 2024) ''The Express''.</ref> Left-to-right: [[Elon Musk]],{{efn|"Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in"<ref>[https://archive.ph/8rAXY#selection-479.0-479.52 Next I’m buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in] by Elon Musk (12:56 AM · Apr 28, 2022) ''Twitter'' (archived from 5 Mar 2024 17:57:02 UTC).</ref>}} Trump Sr., [[Donald Trump Jr.|Trump Jr.]]{{efn|So what's the ETA on that ''real'' [[Cocaine|coke]], Elon?<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K8_Yj3bQ9s Cocaine News with Don Jr.]] (May 5, 2024) ''The Daily Show'' via ''YouTube''.</ref>}}, [[Mike Johnson]], RFK Jr.{{efn|Does this come with worms?}}]]
On 27 October, Trump promised that his second administration would let Kennedy "go wild" on health, food, and medicines.<ref>{{cite web | last=Samuels | first=Brett | title=Trump says he’ll let RFK Jr. ‘go wild’ on health and food in potential second term | website=The Hill | date=2024-10-28 | url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4956319-trump-says-hell-let-rfk-jr-go-wild-on-health-and-food-in-potential-second-term/ | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> At the same time, Kennedy's health promises like reducing the amount of "ultraprocessed food" in the American diet ran counter to the actions the Trump administration had taken during Trump's first term.<ref>{{cite web | last=Bauer | first=Scott | last2=Press | first2=Associated | title=RFK Jr. suggests if Trump is elected, he'll play significant role in agriculture and health policy | website=PBS News | date=2024-10-15 | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/rfk-jr-suggests-if-trump-is-elected-hell-play-significant-role-in-agriculture-and-health-policy | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> 

Shortly after his victory in the election, Donald Trump honored his agreement with Kennedy by announcing that he would nominate Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). For his part, Kennedy pledged to rid the department of "corruption" and improve "transparency."<ref>{{cite web | last=Collins | first=Kaitlan | last2=Holmes | first2=Kristen | last3=Pellish | first3=Aaron | title=Trump picks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his Department of Health and Human Services secretary | website=CNN | date=2024-11-14 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/politics/robert-f-kennedy-donald-trump-hhs/index.html | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> Placing an anti-vaxxer in charge of the HHS Department is essentially placing the inmates in charge of the asylum. Of course, electing Trump again is also placing the inmates in charge of the asylum, so this tracks. 

Although it is not legally possible for the Health Secretary to ban vaccines, Kennedy’s position could potentially allow him to withdraw vaccine recommendations, make changes in agencies that regulate vaccines, and restrict legal protections for vaccine manufacturers.<ref>{{cite web | last=O | first=Alejandra | title=do with vaccines as HHS chief | website=The Hill | date=2024-11-21 | url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5000679-rfk-jr-health-and-human-services-vaccines/ | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref>

By late November, Kennedy was also rumored to have teamed up with Melania Trump to encourage the president-elect to eat "fewer Big Macs and less KFC, and more lean protein, salad and veggies for energy and to improve his overall well-being."<ref>{{cite web | last=Liddell | first=James | title=Melania and RFK Jr join forces to try to improve Trump’s diet | website=The Independent | date=2024-11-22 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/melania-rfk-trump-diet-mcdonalds-b2651875.html | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> The president-elect seemed to have retaliated by having Kennedy participate in a photograph of Team Trump dining on [[McDonald's]] food.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ari Melber: RFK Jr. photo op shows embarrassment is the price of entry into Trump's circle | website=MSNBC.com | date=2024-11-20 | url=https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-cabinet-robert-f-kennedy-jr-humiliation-rcna181026 | ref={{sfnref|MSNBC.com|2024}} | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> Trump is known for his longtime and genuine love for McDonald's,<ref>{{cite web | last=Guzman | first=Chad de | title=Donald Trump’s Long Love for McDonald’s, Explained | website=TIME | date=2024-10-21 | url=https://time.com/7095424/donald-trump-mcdonalds-love-campaign-kamala-harris-work-history/ | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> and two of his top aides ({{wpl|Corey Lewandowski|}} and {{wpl|David Bossie|}}) have claimed that Trump's average meal from McDonald's consists of two Big-Macs, two Fillet-O-Fish sandwiches, and a chocolate milkshake.<ref>{{cite web | last=Hosie | first=Rachel | title=Revealed: Donald Trump's ridiculous McDonald's order | website=The Independent | date=2017-12-06 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/donald-trump-mcdonalds-order-revealed-two-big-macs-fillet-o-fish-chocolate-malted-shake-a8090716.html | access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref> So [[Stopped clock|Kennedy has a point on this one]], though he shows [[hypocrisy]] with lack of follow-up in the photo.

In November 2024, the head of the [[Food and Drug Administration]] (part of DHHS) during the first Trump administration, Scott Gottlieb, warned senators against confirming Kennedy, saying that his confirmation would increase the likelihood of [[measles]] outbreaks and lead to the deaths of children.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/11/29/scott-gottlieb-trump-rfk-hhs/ Trump’s former FDA commissioner warns RFK Jr. could ‘cost lives’ if confirmed: Scott Gottlieb said he’s worried that Trump’s pick to run HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will follow through on past antivaccine rhetoric.] by Dan Diamond (November 29, 2024 at 4:05 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==But that's not all, folks!==
Kennedy is also [[Water fluoridation|against water fluoridation]], and came out against it publicly as the leader of the Children’s Health Defense Team in 2019. His statement was based on [[Cherry picking|cherry-picked]] studies of high doses of fluoride well-above the national recommendations.<ref>[https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/the-children-s-health-defense-team-fluoridation-must-end/ The Children's Health Defense Team: Fluoridation Must End] (January 9, 2019) press release, ''Fluoride Action Network'', republished in ''Biospace'', January 10, 2019.</ref>

===Beef tallow good! Seed oil bad!===
One of the more (theoretically) laudable themes of Kennedy Jr during his term with Trump was his pledge to "Make America Healthy Again", by promising to tackle the abundance of {{wpl|Ultra-processed food|ultra-processed foods}} or "junk food" in the American diet. Unfortunately, when looking at the details of his plans, many of his goals contradicted the advice of health and nutrition experts.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cze391y17z7o "Can RFK Jr make America's diet healthy again?"] by Madeline Halpert, BBC, 2025 February 13</ref>

A theme promoted heavily by Kennedy Jr. during his term with Trump was that seed-based cooking oils, such as canola oil and soybean oil, are completely toxic. Indeed, a key theme of "Make America Healthy Again" was "make frying oil tallow again" — replacing seed oils with rendered beef fat for cooking.<ref name="conversationseed">[https://theconversation.com/seed-oils-are-toxic-says-robert-f-kennedy-jr-but-its-not-so-simple-246494 "Seed oils are toxic, says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – but it’s not so simple"] by Mary J. Scourboutakos, Conversation, 2025 February 7</ref> This aligned Kennedy Jr. with [[conspiracy theories]] hawked by [[manosphere]] influencers (such as [[Mike Cernovich]] and [[carnivore diet]] promoters) about seed oils in the 2020s. The "justifications" used by these influencers to disparage seed oils usually were far more [[food woo]] than science.<ref name="rsseed">[https://archive.ph/nM58e#selection-2355.482-2355.496 "Why Is the Right So Obsessed with Seed Oils?"] by EJ Dickson, Rolling Stone, 2023 August 22</ref>

Kennedy Jr.'s claim that Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by seed oils is not presently supported by the scientific evidence.<ref name="aptallow">[https://apnews.com/article/seed-oil-beef-tallow-kennedy-4fdf0f30134277fd6dd20b4ede789295 "Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists"] by Jonel Aleccia, AP News, 2025 March 7</ref> Furthermore, beef tallow contains saturated fat, and the current scientific consensus on this is that [[Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease|there is a significant link between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease.]] There is perhaps a good argument that there are significant ''taste'' benefits to beef tallow,<ref>[https://www.thechefandthedish.com/post/all-about-beef-tallow-a-classic-fat-in-a-modern-resurgence "All About Beef Tallow: A Classic Fat In a Modern Resurgence"], The Chef and the Dish</ref> but claims that beef tallow is wildly healthier than seed oils are questionable; current evidence seems to suggest that the reverse is more true.

If there is a link between oils and health issues / obesity, it is the high quantity of processed foods or deep-fried foods in the standard American diet.<ref name="rsseed"/> Several studies link obesity to the widespread additions of inexpensive added fats (along with refined grains and sugars) in ultra-processed foods.<ref>Adam Drewnowski, [https://academic.oup.com/epirev/article-abstract/29/1/160/443157?redirectedFrom=fulltext The Real Contribution of Added Sugars and Fats to Obesity], Epidemiologic Reviews, Volume 29, Issue 1, 2007, Pages 160–171, https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxm011</ref><ref>[Drewnowski A, Darmon N. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16002835/ The economics of obesity: dietary energy density and energy cost.] Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jul;82(1 Suppl):265S-273S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/82.1.265S. PMID: 16002835.]</ref> Increased consumption of ultra-processed foods has been a significant factor in the increased consumption of seed oils.<ref name="aptallow"/> Food scientists generally agree that, rather than worry about seed oils, one should focus on more scientifically sound concepts, such as reducing one's consumption of junk food.<ref name="aptallow"/>

One restaurant chain, {{wpl|Steak 'n Shake||,}} who had recently switched to using beef tallow for cooking their fries, took advantage of the popularity of the anti-seed oil narrative among the [[MAGA]] crowd to market this change. The company even directly acknowledged Kennedy Jr.'s influence by calling their fries "RFK'ed".<ref>[https://fortune.com/2025/03/03/steak-n-shake-rfk-french-fries/ "Steak ‘n Shake announces it will ‘RFK’ its French fries"] by Chris Morris, Fortune, March 3 2025</ref>  In March 2025, Kennedy Jr. hyped up beef tallow usage in fast food restaurants during an interview on Fox News, and specifically hyped Steak 'n Shake to the point where some social media commentators considered it a ''de facto'' paid endorsement. Many other commentators justifiably questioned exactly how fast food french fries are supposed to be part of any sort of "healthy" movement.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rfk-jr-steak-n-shake-hannity-visit_n_67d0696de4b02a1e69bd7655 Social Media Reacts To RFK Jr.'s Bizarre Steak 'N Shake Endorsement], 12 March 2025, ''HuffPost''</ref>

===Chemicals are turning the frogs trans!===
Echoing the infamous "[[gay]] frogs" of [[Alex Jones]], in an interview with [[Jordan Peterson]] in June 2023 (later repeated on a [[Joe Rogan]] podcast that same month), Kennedy theorized that certain chemicals in the "soup of [[Toxin|toxic]] [[chemical]]s" in the [[water]] supply could be turning kids gay or [[transgender]]. Kennedy based this conspiracy theory on the same 2002 study that Jones used, which claimed that {{wpl|atrazine}} caused frogs to develop [[Intersex|hermaphroditic]] characteristics. Kennedy's conspiracy theory is obviously bogus; aside from the fact that [[human]] biology and frog biology are quite different, later experiments have been unable to [[replicate]] the results of that 2002 study.<ref>[https://www.thewrap.com/youtube-takes-down-rfk-jr-interview-frogs-gender-jordan-peterson/ YouTube Takes Down RFK Jr. Interview Suggesting Chemicals in Water Supply Might Feminize Children Like They Do Frogs] by Dessi Gomez (2023 June 19) ''The Wrap''.</ref><ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/03/10/did-the-new-yorker-botch-puff-piece-on-frog-scientist-tyrone-hayes-turning-rogue-into-beleaguered-hero/ Did The New Yorker Botch Puff Piece On Frog Scientist Tyrone Hayes, Turning Rogue into Beleaguered Hero?] by Jon Entine (2014 March 10) Forbes''.</ref>

===Tylenol causes autism===
In a 2025 memo Kennedy claimed that there was a causal link between acetaminophen (known under the brand name Tylenol) and autism. Obviously, this is complete [[bullshit]].<ref>[https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/the-facts-behind-claims-on-autism-tylenol-and-folate/. "The Facts Behind Claims on Autism, Tylenol and Folate"] by Kate Yandell (17 September 2025). Fact-check.org.</ref>. This was amplified in a September 2025 press conference in the White House where Trump repeated the same bullshit, but also fearmongered about vaccines and implored parents not to give their kids [[hepatitis B]] shots until they were "at least twelve".<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-rfk-jr-distort-facts-autism-tylenol-vaccines/ Trump, RFK Jr. distort facts on autism, Tylenol and vaccines, scientists say: "Sick to my stomach"], by Amy Maxmen, 23 September 2025, CBS News.</ref> Trump has also encouraged expecting mothers to not take Tylenol,<ref>[https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/fact-check-trump-tylenol-pregnancy-autism-fever-pain-maternal-fetal-health/ Trump Claims ‘No Downside’ to Avoiding Tylenol During Pregnancy. He’s Wrong.], Madison Czopek, ''KFF Health News'' 24 September 2025</ref> which is especially dangerous considering that acetaminophen is the only pain and fever relief medication that is actually safe for pregnant women to take.<ref>[https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-you-take-tylenol-while-pregnant Is It Safe To Take Tylenol if You’re Pregnant?], ''Cleveland Clinic'' 6 October 2025</ref>

In October 2025, at a cabinet meeting in the White House, Kennedy claimed that there was also a link between [[circumcision]] and autism.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Beaumont | first1=Thomas | last2=Ungar | first2=Laura | title=Kennedy reups unproven Tylenol-autism link during Cabinet meeting as Trump repeats 'don't take it' | website=AP News | date=2025-10-09 | url=https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-tylenol-autism-circumcision-trump-f92078ebc210677dadaa0d315472742c | access-date=2025-10-10}}</ref>

===Antidepressants cause school shootings! (And Elon Musk is great!)===
Surprising no one, the [[gullible]] [[Elon Musk]] had a positive view of Kennedy when he was running for President, and the two have traded praise. During Kennedy's campaign launch, Musk hosted a two-hour conversation with the candidate on Twitter, where the candidate issued some interestingly wacky statements like, "Prior to the introduction of Prozac," [[school shooting]]s weren't a problem.<ref name="prozac">[https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-kennedy-jr-elon-musk-american-revolution-twitter-spaces-conversation-2023-6 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. compares Elon Musk to patriots who died fighting in the American Revolution, blames anti-depressants for mass shootings] by John Cook (Jun 5, 2023, 3:09 PM PDT) ''Business Insider''.</ref> There is absolutely no scientifically established link between [[antidepressant]]s and school shootings,<ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bsl.2429 The myth of school shooters and psychotropic medications] by Ryan Chaloner Winton Hall ''et al.'' (2019) ''Behavioral Sciences & The Law'' 37(5):540-558. doi:10.1002/bsl.2429.</ref>{{efn|If anything, they are one method that school shooting survivors use to treat ensuing depression.<ref>[https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2000804117 Local exposure to school shootings and youth antidepressant use] by Maya Rossin-Slater ''et al.'' (2020) ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' 117(38):23484-23489. doi:10.1073/pnas.2000804117.</ref>}} and the conspiracy theory is notably widely spread by the [[Church of Scientology]] (who take an [[anti-psychiatry]] stance).<ref name="prozac"/> Rather than address the school shooting crisis with [[Common sense|common-sense]] [[gun control]], Kennedy decided to take the Republican approach and endorse outfitting schools with metal detectors, bag screeners, and bans on sharp objects.<ref name="prozac"/> Have fun sending your kids to class in a world like that.

Kennedy also spent the interview lavishing praise on Musk, comparing him to the Patriots of the [[American Revolution]] saying "What is it in your background that you think gave you such firm convictions where you'd be willing to take this huge, massive, unspeakable economic hit on behalf of a principle for a country in which you weren't even born?"<ref name="prozac"/> How pathetic.

Kennedy has also advocated moving people who are on antidepressants into "[[concentration camp|government wellness farms]]."<ref>{{cite web | last=Butler | first=Kiera | title=RFK Jr. wants to send people addicted to antidepressants to government "wellness farms" | website=Mother Jones | date=2024-07-24 | url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/07/rfk-jr-wants-to-send-people-on-antidepressants-to-government-wellness-farms/ | access-date=2025-02-16}}</ref>

===Drink raw milk!===
{{main|Raw milk}}
Kennedy is an advocate of raw milk even though (or because?) it is unsafe to consume, often containing infectious [[viruses]] and [[bacteria]] such as Salmonella, ''E. coli'' and listeria.<ref name=weber2>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/11/15/rfk-jr-views-conspiracies-false-claims/ 10 RFK Jr. conspiracy theories and false claims, in his own words: Kennedy’s ascension to the nation’s top health job alarms medical experts.] by Lauren Weber et al. (November 15, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> He claims to personally drink raw milk, and he's attacked the FDA for its "aggressive suppression" of raw milk.<ref>{{cite web | last=Amenabar | first=Teddy | title=RFK Jr. says he drinks raw milk. How safe is unpasteurized milk? | website=Washington Post | date=2024-11-21 | url=https://archive.ph/vJVFM | access-date=2024-11-25}}</ref> 

===Stem cell therapy!===
{{main|Stem cell research}}
Kennedy has advocated for stem cell therapy, which is not a problem in and of itself: some such therapies are effective treatments. It is doubtful given all of Kennedy's other crankery that he would be able to distinguish the difference. Some stem cell therapies have blinded patients. Paul Knoepfler, a professor of cell biology and human anatomy at the University of California at Davis and expert on the subject, has expressed concern about Kennedy's advocacy because there are many dubious stem cell therapies that are promoted on the web.<ref name=weber2/>

===Chemtrails!===
{{main|Chemtrails}}
In 2024, just after endorsing [[rapist]]/felon Trump's campaign for president, he endorsed some random chemtrail nut on Twitter, writing, "We are going to stop this crime."<ref>[https://ghostarchive.org/archive/kXxl9 https://ghostarchive.org/archive/kXxl9] by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (12:59 PM · Aug 26, 2024) ''Twitter'' (archived from 27 Aug 2024 16:44:03 GMT).</ref>

===The government is out to get us!===
{{main|Paranoia}}
In 2024, Kennedy told [[Fox News]]:<ref name=weber2/>
{{cquote|The agency, the [[USDA]], the FDA have been captured by the industries they’re supposed to regulate, and they all have an interest in subsidies and mass poisoning the American public.}}
Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, responded:<ref name=weber2/>
{{cquote|That's just an [[Inflammatory language|inflammatory statement]] that has no basis in reality. I've worked with the scientists at the [health] agencies, at CDC and FDA, at the National Institutes of Health, and they are the most dedicated civil servants the nation has ever seen.}}

===The 2004 election was stolen!===
{{main|2004 U.S. presidential election}}
[[File:ElectoralCollege2004.svg|thumb|right|250px|Yeah, we wish Kerry had won Ohio, too. But he didn't.]]
Foreshadowing later, [[J6|more dangerous]] claims by President Donald Trump, Kennedy spent years chasing his theory that [[George W. Bush]] rigged the 2004 election against Democratic candidate John Kerry. His conspiracy theory centered on [[Ohio]], claiming that Republican state officials acted on orders from the White House to intentionally purge registered Democrats from the voter registration system, preventing them from casting ballots for Kerry.<ref name="bushker">[https://www.salon.com/2006/06/03/kennedy_39/ Was the 2004 election stolen? No.] by Farhad Manjoo (June 3, 2006 12:00PM EDT) ''Salon.''</ref> 

While there ''were'' a large number of voters, 129,543 to be exact, who encountered this problem at their polling places, audits and Democratic Party investigations found that the impacted voters were roughly evenly split between the two parties.<ref name="bushker"/> Also, Kerry actually won more votes than [[Al Gore]] in many areas, including 88,500 more votes from Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is.<ref name="cleve">[https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/politics/articles/robert-f-kennedy-jr-nut-job Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Nut Job] by Erick Trickey (August 27, 2008) ''Cleveland Magazine.''</ref> Most damningly for the theory, Ohio elections are run at the county level by boards that are careful to have bipartisan makeup, so the various fuckups on Election Day were not a grand Republican conspiracy.<ref name="cleve"/> Ohio pretty much did exactly what polls predicted: vote for Bush by a fairly narrow margin. Thus, there is no evidence to indicate that Kerry won Ohio either way. But a good conspiracy theorist never lets a debunking keep him down.

===The CIA killed JFK!===
{{main|John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories}}
Never one to miss a chance to further piss off his own family members, Kennedy has repeatedly claimed that the [[CIA]] orchestrated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. His theory, piggybacking on a broader cultural belief, claims that the CIA killed the president because he was refusing to embroil the United States in the growing crisis in [[Vietnam]], [[Laos]], and [[Cambodia]].<ref name="jfkill">[https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3993563-robert-kennedy-jr-sees-overwhelming-evidence-cia-involved-in-jfk-assassination/ Robert Kennedy Jr. sees ‘overwhelming evidence’ CIA involved in JFK assassination] by Stephen Neukam (05/08/23 11:57 AM ET) ''The Hill.''</ref> The CIA apparently wanted a war in Southeast Asia in order to fuel the [[military-industrial complex]]. Apparently, Kennedy ignores the fact that his uncle already ''was'' [[Vietnam War|embroiling the United States in Vietnam]] at the time he was assassinated. As recently as 2023, RFK Jr. claimed the evidence is "overwhelming" that the CIA was responsible.<ref name="jfkill"/> Kennedy told [[Joe Rogan]] he "takes precautions" on the off chance that the CIA decides to gun for him.<ref>[https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-robert-f-kennedy-jr-joe-rogan-interview-cia-assassination-20230615-yqzbycgj3zh3hevrfsaaqvpk6a-story.html RFK Jr. tells Joe Rogan he takes ‘precautions’ to avoid CIA assassination] by Brian Niemietz (June 19, 2023 at 4:04 PM EST) ''New York Daily News.''</ref>

==Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)==
MAHA? Ha, ha, the cruel joke's on you!

MAHA is an agglomeration of all the anti-science ideas of this man's worm-brain-addled mind, particularly antivax, wrong ideas about the causes and treatment of autism, literally and turning the former FDA food pyramid upside-down. MAHA's followers speak in [[euphemism]]s<ref>[https://lithub.com/amid-the-maha-anti-vaxxers-at-the-texas-book-festival/ 
Amid the MAHA Anti-Vaxxers at the Texas Book Festival: "Books are not fact-checked. Books are the perfect medium for grifters."] by Maris Kreizman (November 20, 2025) ''Literary Hub''.</ref> because they can't handle the truth. The cruelty of MAHA became quite evident after RFK was made Secretary of Health and Human Services by [[Senate]] Republicans. The cruelty of MAHA is that there was no "again". Americans were not healthier before vaccines and antibiotics: for example, deaths and disabilities from measles and tuberculosis were much more common.<ref>[https://snyder.substack.com/p/consumptive-capitalism Consumptive Capitalism: On MAHA and Expensive Suffering] by Sara Silverstein (Feb 15, 2026) ''Thinking about…'' (Substack).</ref>

==His voice==
He began suffering from {{wpl|spasmodic dysphonia||,}} a rare voice disorder, in 2001. This causes his voice to sound strained.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5296702 Kennedy's Voice Draws Attention to Rare Disorder] by Lauren Cox (January 8, 2009) ''ABC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/11/08/robert-kennedy-jr-voice/ What happened to Robert Kennedy Jr’s voice and when did it change?] by Yasmine Leung (2022) ''HITC'' (archived from March 14, 2023).</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.ringoffireradio.com/ ''Ring of Fire'' program website]
*[https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/tag/robert-f-kennedy-jr/ Articles tagged "Robert F Kennedy Jr." at Science-Based Medicine.]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_TLlwq-gqQ RFK, Jr. peddling his conspiracies at a Green Our Vaccines rally]
*Skeptico on [http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/06/robert_f_kenned.html Deadly Immunity article] and [http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/salon-retracts-2005-robert-f-kennedy-jr-piece-on-alleged-autism-vaccine-link/ Retraction Watch's coverage.]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110306145740/https://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/11/say_it_aint_so_barack_say_you_aint_serio.php Orac on RFK, Jr.]
*[https://www.cc.com/video/uwf623/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-robert-f-kennedy-jr A Daily Show interview that unfortunately questioned his vaccine hysteria not.]
*[https://www.salon.com/2006/06/03/kennedy_39/#.Wb3NOsnM0yM Farhad Manjoo debunks Kennedy's claims of 2004 election rigging.]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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