Critics of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are floating a theory about the origins of the parasitic brain worm he had more than a decade ago: raw milk.
The dead worm in RFK’s head—first reported on by the New York Times in May—caused him to experience mental fogginess and memory loss in 2010. One doctor believed a worm entered his brain, “ate a portion of it and then died.”
At the time of the report, critics were quick to mock and crack jokes about the news, but the Kennedy campaign leaned into the revelation. Running mate Nicole Shanahan purchased two domains—brainworm.ai and brainworm.com—to possibly create “an uncensored scientific research platform.”
But now, RFK’s critics are once again spotlighting the brain worm issue following RFK’s comments about his dairy of choice.
“All I can say is that since [inaud] last year, I only drink raw milk,” Kennedy said in an undated clip circulating on social media.
Although Kennedy’s pivot to raw milk appears to have happened years after the brain worm was discovered, critics are nonetheless correlating the two.
“Raw milk is a likely suspect for where the worm-parasite that RFK says ‘ate part of his brain’ could have come from,” commented one X user.
“Might explain the brain worms,” quipped the prominent pro-Democrat account Mueller, She Wrote.
“This is the brain worm talking…..demanding more company,” joked another.
On Reddit, RFK’s raw milk statement racked up hundreds of comments, with one user joking: “It pleases the worms.”
“I’m not a doctor but I think I have a theory on how he got the brain worms,” wrote another redditor.
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill germs. The Food and Drug Administration warns that drinking raw milk can cause food poisoning from parasites or germs such as “Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter,” and more.
Despite the risks, raw milk has grown in popularity with some consumers touting it as a “health hack,” though experts are doubtful of its purported benefits over pasteurized dairy.
Regardless, some conservatives have promoted it for years. Turning Point USA recently took up the mantle, despite possible concerns over its ties to bird flu.
According to the Times, Kennedy is unaware of the exact origins of the brain worm, but believed he may have contracted it during a trip through South Asia.
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