Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines in recent days with his controversial conspiracy theories, arguing that COVID-19 was genetically engineered to avoid harming Chinese and Jewish people – but it turns out the long-shot candidate for President has a rich track record of antisemitism.
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In a now-viral video clip released by the New York Post, RFK Jr. can be seen at a dinner, describing how COVID-19 was a “bioweapon” which “ethnically targeted” blacks and caucasians: “COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately… COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese," he said in the video clip.
RFK Jr.’s comments were immediately condemned by major leaders in the Jewish community, Ted Deutch, former Congressman and the CEO of the American Jewish Committee, stated on Twitter, “Robert Kennedy Jr.’s assertion that COVID was genetically engineered to spare Jewish and Chinese people is deeply offensive and incredibly dangerous. Every aspect of his comments reflects some of the most abhorrent antisemitic conspiracy theories throughout history and contributes to today’s dangerous rise of antisemitism.”
Similarly, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), stated, “The claim that COVID-19 was a bioweapon created by the Chinese or Jews to attack Caucasians and black people is deeply offensive and feeds into xenophobic and antisemitic conspiracy theories about COVID-19 that we have seen evolve over the last three years.”
In response to the criticism, RFK Jr. claimed that “during an off-the-record conversation" he had claimed "that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons," specifically mentioning “a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races." He further added, “I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered.”
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at an anti COVID-19 mandates rally in Washington last January
(Photo: Reuters)
RFK Jr. has a colorful track record of antisemitism. In 2022 he was criticized for suggesting that Anne Frank had more freedom than those living under vaccine mandates. In 2023, he defended Roger Waters in the aftermath of an antisemitic scandal in Germany, who is known for his extremist anti-Israel and often antisemitic views. RFK Jr. tweeted, “Roger, you are the global hero Orwell had in mind when he said, ‘In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act’ The high priests of the totalitarian orthodoxies are trying to silence you with censorship, gaslighting and defamation.”
Additionally, RFK Jr. has associations with known antisemite and Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Louis Farrakhan. According to the New York Post, RFK Jr. met with the NOI leadership in 2020 and told them that COVID was "genetically modified to attack Black and Latino boys.”
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Cheryl Hines, RFK Jr.’s wife, has previously condemned his antisemitic comments, "My husband's opinions are not a reflection of my own. While we love each other, we differ on many current issues...The atrocities that millions endured during the Holocaust should never be compared to anyone or anything," she stated.