Joe Biden will be challenged by John F Kennedy’s nephew for the Democratic nomination for next year’s presidential election if the president decides to run again as he has indicated he will.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent anti-vaccine activist and member of one of America’s most famous political families, is unlikely to succeed.
The 69-year-old is the son of John F Kennedy’s brother, Robert, a prominent US senator who was assassinated in 1968.
Kennedy Jr confirmed his bid in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday.
He was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer, but later morphed into one of America’s most prominent anti-vaxxers. His work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous.
His anti-vaccine charity, Children’s Health Defense, has promoted false claims about vaccines during the Covid pandemic.
Kennedy released a book in 2021, ‘The Real Anthony Fauci,’ in which he accused the top US health official of assisting in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy”.
He has repeatedly invoked Nazis and the Holocaust when talking about Covid measures, such as mask requirements and vaccine mandates.
In 2021 his own sister, Kerry Kennedy, called him “very dangerous" on the issue of Covid vaccines.
Self-help author Marianne Williamson has also announced her intent to run in the Democratic primaries, the contest which decides the party’s pick of presidential candidate.
For the Republicans, Donald Trump and former ambassador Nikki Haley have announced their intention to stand in that party’s primaries.
Incumbent president Joe Biden has indicated he will run for re-election, though he has not yet formally declared his candidacy. He had been expected to launch his campaign in early April, but reports instead suggest he may be planning to do so in summer.
