In a 2012 deposition, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent in the 2024 presidential election, said that a worm “got into [his] brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” Kennedy is vocal about his conspiracy and conspiracy-adjacent beliefs, and many see his brain worm fiasco as further proof of his mental instability.
As reported on Wednesday by the New York Times, doctors believed Kennedy had a brain tumor in 2010 after he began experiencing memory loss. One doctor, though, told Kennedy that a parasitic worm had died inside his brain. The Times’ investigation of the claims concluded that the worm could have been pork tapeworm larva, which can be contracted by eating raw pork, that entered his bloodstream and ultimately, his brain.
But many reactions to Kennedy’s predicament focus less on the scientific specifics and more on the outlandishness of the candidate and his behavior.
“This honestly makes a lot of sense given his perspectives on the world,” Jerrad Christian, an Ohio Democratic candidate for Congress tweeted.
“THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING,” journalist Liz Wolfe tweeted.
“The interesting part of the RFK brainworm story is that literally no one who read it said, ‘No way,’” Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson tweeted. The Lincoln Project is a centrist political organization that opposes former President Donald Trump.
Others cited Kennedy’s brain worm as yet another reason not to vote for the candidate in November.
“I’m not voting for #RFK the #BrainWorm guy, or Trump the fascist,” an X user tweeted.
And many joked about Kennedy’s health and neurological issues.
“Even the worm couldn’t handle the crazy,” an X user wrote.
“Did the Dr mention how much of RFK’s brain the worm ate before it died?” another person tweeted. “I’m guessing A LOT.”
“I assume there is still a live one in there piloting him like a giant meat suit,” a Reddit user wrote.
Days before the Times‘ report on Kennedy’s brain, his campaign released a thirty-minute short film—and campaign ad—about Kennedy addressing those who say he is “crazy.” The ad, “Who Is Bobby Kennedy?” is narrated by Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson.
The film includes Kennedy addressing bad press he’s received and claiming that he’s not a conspiracy theorist. It also discusses Kennedy’s life, his family—Kennedy is the son of Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy—his career as an environmentalist, and his views on vaccines. Kennedy has said that vaccines are not safe, especially the COVID-19 vaccine.
The short film also asserts that because Kennedy doesn’t believe vaccines are safe, the mainstream media conspired against him to silence him.
Notably, the film’s subtitle is “What if he’s not crazy?”
Yet despite his attempts to appeal to a larger swathe of the public, Kennedy still trails President Joe Biden in recent polls by more than 30 points. Nevertheless, Kennedy has called on Biden to drop out of the race.
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