Robert F Kennedy Jr, running for US president as a Democrat, is receiving unusual backing from right-wingers, raising suspicions about his motivations. Over the weekend, he doubled down on claims that Covid-19 may have been 'ethnically targeted' to attack Caucasians and black people while sparing Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.
Kennedy argued he never implied the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered, citing a National Institutes of Health study. However, an author of that study told CBS News that its findings 'never supported' his claims, calling the misinterpretation harmful to academic research.
This is the latest debunked claim from Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer turned anti-vaccine activist. Despite holding few campaign events, he has polled as high as 21% since his April launch, suggesting disaffection with President Joe Biden among Democratic voters.
Democratic strategist Kevin Walling said Kennedy's support is 'a combination of nostalgia for the Kennedy family and brand, as well as a lack of awareness about his views.' The Biden camp has largely ignored him, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called his comments 'vile and they put our fellow Americans in danger.'
Kennedy has grown close with the Trump wing of the Republican Party, appearing at events pushing false claims about the 2020 election and downplaying the January 2021 Capitol attack. Donors who typically give to Republicans count among his top contributors, with nearly 40% having a track record of supporting Republican candidates.
Despite raising $6.3m over three months, Kennedy's fundraising is dwarfed by Biden's $72m. Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh concluded, 'He's not going to deny Biden the nomination nor is he going to be a significant threat.'
