RFK Jr.'s Controversial Comments Draw Strong Criticism

Several members of the Kennedy family, including his sister Kerry Kennedy and brother Joseph Kennedy II, have condemned Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bigoted conspiracy theory that suggests the coronavirus was "ethnically targeted" to spare Jews and Chinese people. Kennedy's remarks, which were criticized as "deplorable and untruthful," have been disavowed by his relatives, who state that they play on antisemitic myths and stoke mistrust of the Chinese. This is not the first time Kennedy's family has distanced themselves from his controversial statements, as he has previously promoted anti-vaccine misinformation and other conspiracy theories. Despite this, Kennedy is polling relatively strongly in the Democratic nomination race against President Biden.