Prime line
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now set to take over as President-elect Donald Trump's Secretary of Well being and Human Companies subsequent 12 months, prompting new scrutiny over a collection of false claims he has helped unfold for many of of the final twenty years.
Key info
Kennedy Jr., a well known environmental lawyer, veered towards fringe theories within the early 2000s, when he started selling conspiracies about vaccines and the 2004 presidential election, and plenty of extra have adopted.
He claimed that vaccines may cause autism
For years, Kennedy Jr. has promoted the idea that the preservative thimerosal, which has largely been faraway from fashionable vaccine formulation, seems to be liable for the rise in autism diagnoses, and that the federal government knew, however “to “knowingly allowed the pharmaceutical trade to poison a complete era of American kids,” he wrote in Rolling Stone. and lounge in 2006. This has been totally debunked, with a consensus amongst a number of licensed well being organizations, together with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, the World Well being Group and extra, discovering no credible hyperlink between vaccines and autism.
He claimed that Dr. Anthony Fauci and Invoice Gates exaggerated the pandemic to advertise vaccines
Kennedy Jr. accused the couple in his 2021 e-book, “The Actual Anthony Fauci,” of launching “a historic coup towards Western democracy” by exerting huge affect over the media and public well being, whereas Kennedy additionally promoted the usage of unapproved remedies. for COVID-19, similar to ivermectin.
Rfk Jr. stated Covid-19 targets 'Caucasians and blacks'
Kennedy Jr. was caught on digicam in July 2023 telling his dinner companions that “COVID-19 is geared toward attacking Caucasians and Black individuals” and that “the individuals most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese language.” , in accordance with a video made public in The New York Put up, which additionally reveals him saying that the US “invested a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of in ethnically focused microbes” and laboratories in Ukraine collected Russian and Chinese language DNA “so we will goal individuals by race ”.
Claims that the FDA “suppresses” well being advances
In an Oct. 25 X publish that stated the FDA is waging a “battle on public well being” that features “aggressive suppression” of merchandise “that enhance human well being and can’t be patented by” the pharmaceutical trade. It continued to advertise uncooked milk, unpasteurized milk that will comprise harmful germs however has the identical vitamins as pasteurized milk, in accordance with the CDC. The publish additionally promotes peptides, a probably harmful progress hormone related to weight reduction and muscle growth that’s more and more standard on social media, and disproven remedies for Covid-19 similar to ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
Says wi-fi expertise may cause most cancers and different conspiracies
Kennedy Jr. has promoted the debunked conspiracy that 5G mobile networks, a complicated wi-fi expertise customary for cellphones, enable governments to gather consumer information and “monitor” their habits, CBS reported in 2023. He additionally advised Joe Rogan in a podcast interview in June. that WiFi “radiation” causes most cancers, “cellphone tumors,” and “opens the blood-brain barrier” to toxins (there isn’t a scientific proof connecting WiFi or 5G to any illness, in accordance with the American Most cancers Society).
Has promoted the idea that AIDS just isn’t brought on by HIV
In an interview with New York Journal in 2023 and in his e-book, Kennedy Jr. appears to suggest that HIV analysis has been “false” and lacks understanding of “whether or not it was inflicting AIDS.” Plentiful scientific proof and analysis reveals that AIDS is brought on by HIV.
Says fluoride causes illnesses
Within the weeks main as much as his appointment as Well being Secretary, Kennedy Jr. repeated that his purpose was to work with the Trump administration to cease together with fluoride in U.S. public water methods, and tweeted unsubstantiated claims on Nov. 2. that “fluoride is an industrial waste.” related to arthritis, bone fractures, bone most cancers, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental problems, and thyroid illnesses.” A restricted quantity of fluoride in water is thought to scale back tooth decay.
Says mass shootings are linked to prescribed drugs
Kennedy Jr. blamed college shootings on medicine just like the antidepressant Prozac in a latest dialogue on X Areas, telling proprietor Elon Musk, “Earlier than the introduction of Prozac, we had nearly none of those occasions” (there isn’t a scientifically established correlation between psychiatric medicine and mass violence, in accordance with consultants cited by PolitiFact).
He believes the 2004 presidential election was stolen from John Kerry
Kennedy Jr. stated in a 2006 Rolling Stone Within the article he was “satisfied” that voter fraud within the 2004 presidential election allowed former Republican President George W. Bush to steal victory from Democrat John Kerry, however whereas a 2005 post-mortem by the Democratic Social gathering discovered a collapse of the electoral system in Ohio, discovered no proof of fraud.
He says the CIA was concerned within the assassination of John F. Kennedy
He has made this declare for years and not too long ago repeated it to Fox Information' Sean Hannity (the federal authorities's Warren Fee discovered that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he shot JFK in 1963, however conspiracies have continued ever since).
Thinks Sirhan Sirhan might not be responsible of killing his father
Kennedy Jr. solid doubt on Sirhan Sirhan's conviction for the 1968 assassination of his father, former U.S. legal professional normal and Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy's legal professionals have claimed lately that he was hypnotized and compelled to kill Kennedy.
Chief Critic
4 of Kennedy Jr.'s 10 siblings criticized his presidential run earlier than he lastly deserted his marketing campaign in August. “Bobby could share the identical identify as our father, however he doesn’t share the identical imaginative and prescient, values or judgment,” they wrote. The rebuke marked one among many efforts by members of his household to publicly distance themselves from his controversial views. His sister, Kerry Kennedy, referred to as his feedback a couple of genetically modified Covid-19 virus “deplorable and false,” his brother Joseph Kennedy II advised the Boston Globe the statements have been “morally and factually flawed” and a “sport of anti-Semitic myths.” and revival.” mistrust of the Chinese language” that “under no circumstances mirror the phrases and actions of our father, Robert F. Kennedy.” His nephew, Joe Kennedy III, referred to as the remarks “hurtful and incorrect.” tweeting “I unequivocally condemn what he stated.” His spouse, actress Cheryl Hines, beforehand stated his “opinions aren’t a mirrored image of [her] personal”, in a tweet in 2022 after evaluating vaccine mandates to Nazi Germany.
Towards
Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly rejected the “anti-vaccine” label, stating that he’s not towards secure vaccines and that he has vaccinated his kids.
Key background
Kennedy is the founder and president of the nonprofit Kids's Well being Protection, a number one proponent of vaccine skepticism. The group's affect grew throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and it got here below widespread condemnation for a controversial movie that critics stated focused the Black neighborhood with misinformation about vaccines. Kennedy Jr. introduced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on April 6, 2023, calling Biden an in depth household good friend and promising to not run a “petty marketing campaign,” whereas explaining that the 2 “differ actually dramatically on points like battle, like censorship, just like the management of Wall Road and the big companies of our federal authorities and the pharmaceutical corporations and in addition the usage of worry as a software of presidency,” he advised CNN. Politicians have famous that Kennedy Jr.'s comparatively robust ballot numbers (much like these of Republican candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis) are extra a mirrored image of his identify recognition and an absence of enthusiasm for Biden, who Greater than half of Democratic voters don’t need to run once more, in accordance with an April Related Press/NORC ballot.
Further studying
Robert Kennedy Jr., with Musk, promotes right-wing concepts and misinformation (The New York Occasions)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exams Democrats' conspiratorial urge for food (Washington Put up)
Have Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaccine conspiracies discovered a house? (Self-importance Honest)