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Robert F Kennedy Jr, the eccentric scion of America's most prominent political dynasty, has been named the head of the US Health Department by President-elect Donald Trump. Trump said that Robert Kennedy would restore agencies like the Health and Human Services to the traditions of gold-standard scientific research and end the chronic disease epidemic.
Robert Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaxxer known for his controversial views on vaccines, has been in the news for a string of conspiracy theories and bizarre statements over the years. If approved by the Senate, which Trump's Republican Party controls, the 70-year-old Kennedy Jr will have authority over 13 agencies that come under the Health and Human Services - which include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also has an international role; the National Institutes of Health that do cutting edge research; and Medicare, the government's health insurance for seniors. This may even give Kennedy Jr the power to subvert the entire US health system.
Let's take a look at some of RJK Jr's conspiracy theories:
Covid-19 Targets Certain Races
Robert Kennedy Jr had bizarrely suggested during the peak COVID-19 pandemic that the disease targets certain races while skipping others. According to him, Covid "ethnically targeted" white and black people and "spared" the Jewish and Chinese people.
Another theory he propagated was that Covid was genetically engineered and was a bioweapons problem.
He also promoted the use of unapproved treatment and prevention of Covid - ivermectin (an antiparasitic drug that studies have shown does not effectively treat or prevent Covid).
Vaccine Can Cause Autism
According to RFK Jr, vaccinations can cause autism - a neurological and developmental disorder. In a 2006 Rolling Stone article, the 70-year-old had said modern vaccine formulas are leading to a rise in autism, adding that the US government knew about it but was allowing the pharmaceutical industry to "poison" Americans, reported Forbes.
CIA Helped In John F Kennedy's Assassination
Robert F Kennedy Jr claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved in the 1963 assassination of former US President John F Kennedy.
RFK Jr is the nephew of John F Kennedy and the son of his brother, Robert, a Senator and former Attorney General - who was also assassinated in 1968.
Voter Fraud In 2004 Presidential Election
According to the longtime environment and health campaigner, voter fraud allowed George W Bush to win the 2004 US Presidential election against Democratic leader John Kerry.
Prescription Drugs Lead To Mass Shootings
During a Twitter Spaces discussion with Elon Musk a few years ago, RFK Jr linked prescription drugs to the mass shootings in the US. According to him, drugs like Prozac lead to the shootings.
"Before the antidepressants, there were no shooting incidents," he told Musk.
Parasitic Worm Ate His Brain
Robert F Kennedy Jr also shares strange stories from his personal life. He had once said a parasitic worm entered his brain, ate a portion of it, and then died.
