Robert Kennedy Jr. promoted the scientifically discredited link between vaccines and autism. Photo: AP
Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the anti-vaccination movement and heir to one of America's most powerful political families, has filed a presidential bid to challenge Joe Biden.
D Mr. Kennedy, 69, filed his nomination on Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission likely to turn him against the incumbent Mr. Biden, who is expected to announce his own campaign in 2024.
The former lawyer becomes the second candidate to throw his hat in the ring for a Democratic nomination honoring self-help author Marianne Williamson to run.Mr. Kennedy's chance of ending up in the White House is slim. Biden, 80, the oldest president in US history, still enjoys significant support among Democratic voters.
Mr. Kennedy is the son of a former New York senator, US attorney general and assassinated presidents in 1968 by Robert F. Kennedy. and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.
He was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer and has long been involved in the anti-vaccine movement, but efforts intensified during the Covid pandemic.< /p>
Since 2005, he has promoted the scientifically discredited link between vaccines and autism, as well as is the founder and chairman of Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine advocacy group.
The charity has flourished during the outbreak, with revenue more than doubling in 2020 to $6.8 million, according to documents filed with the charity's regulators.
His organization targeted false claims at groups that may be more inclined to distrust the vaccine, including mothers and black Americans, experts, which could have led to deaths during the pandemic.
In 2021, Kennedy released the book The Real Anthony Fauci, in which he accused the chief physician- U.S. infectious disease specialist in promoting a «historic coup d'état against Western democracy.»
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sixth from left, with seven of his eight siblings and his parents, Robert and Ethel, in 1966 year. Photo: AP
He repeatedly referred to the Nazis and the Holocaust when he talked about measures to contain the spread of the virus, such as mask requirements and mandatory vaccines, and suggested that Anne Frank fared better than Americans whose work requires vaccination.
Mr. Kennedy's wife, Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, distanced herself from her husband's comments last year, tweeting, «My husband's opinion is not a reflection of my own. Although we love each other, we disagree on many things.» current issues.» He later apologized for the mention.
In March, Mr. Kennedy hinted that he was thinking about running.
Mr. Kennedy told the gathering in New Hampshire, “Yes, I'm thinking about it. I got over the biggest hurdle my wife gave me the green light.»
A few days later, he tweeted: «If it looks like I can raise money and mobilize enough people to win, I I will run,” he wrote.
“If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that has destroyed our economy, destroyed the middle class, polluted our landscapes and water, poisoned our children and robbed us of our values and freedoms. Together we can restore democracy to America.”
Mr. Kennedy has occasionally referred to his family's legacy in his anti-vaccine work, including occasional images of President Kennedy.
His sister Kerry Kennedy, who runs the international human rights organization Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, founded by their mother Ethel, said in an interview that her brother is «totally wrong on this issue and very dangerous.»
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