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Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr has offered to eat more parasitic worms after it was revealed that a worm ate part of his brain and died inside his head a decade ago.
Now, the independent candidate has claimed that he could “eat 5 more brain worms” and still win a debate with his Democrat and Republican rivals, President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump.
“I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate,” RFK Jr said on X on Wednesday. “I feel confident of the result even with a six-worm handicap.”
His remarks came after the New York Times revealed that Mr Kennedy had reported a brain worm in a 2012 deposition during his divorce from his second wife. At that time, Mr Kennedy reportedly said he’d begun to experience “cognitive problems” and both short and long-term memory loss.
The 2012 deposition showed that Mr Kennedy initially feared he had a brain tumour, according to The Times. RFK Jr’s uncle, former Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, had died of brain tumor in 2009. But a second doctor’s opinion told him that the dark spot on his brain scans was a dead parasite.
According to the deposition, Mr Kennedy said the doctor had told him that the dark spot “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died”.
The health revelation raises questions about RFK Jr’s health after the 70-year-old, anti-vaccine activist has presented himself as a youthful alternative to Mr Biden, 81, and Mr Trump, 77.
In response to the revelation, RFK Jr told the Times that he had recovered from the memory loss and fogginess he’d described in 2010, had no after-effects, and the parasite had not required treatment.
He also said in the 2012 deposition that he suffered from mercury poisoning that caused neurological issues.
RFK Jr, son of late New York senator and attorney general Robert F Kennedy, told the Times that the poisoning was caused by eating too much fish. “I loved tuna fish sandwiches. I ate them all the time,” he said.
Last week, Mr Trump dismissed the idea of having a debate with RFK Jr, saying “he is not a serious candidate”.
It was reported in April that the Biden team had filed official complaints about Mr Kennedy’s campaign, while also hiring staffers to tackle misinformation from the third-party candidate.
The Kennedy family has publicly endorsed Mr Biden, and dismissed their relative as a “crackpot”.
A recent poll showed that Mr Kennedy is more of a threat to Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign than President Biden.
The first presidental debate is due to take place on 16 September. It remains to be seen if Mr Kennedy can surpass the 15 per cent support threshold, as well as garnering a large enough ballot presence required by the Commission on Presidential Debates, for him to take to the stage.
