Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a scion of one of America’s best-known political families. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy, and his father, Robert F. Kennedy, was a U.S. senator and attorney general. But RFK Jr. is also an infamous conspiracy theorist known for his incendiary fearmongering about COVID-19 restrictions, vaccines, 5G technology and Bill Gates.
Now, RFK Jr. is running for president — and one new poll shows he’s attracting a surprisingly large amount of support from people who supported Joe Biden in 2020.
Between that, his penchant for spreading disinformation, and the fact that confidantes of former President Donald Trump have publicly identified RFK Jr. as a political asset, how should the media cover his campaign moving forward? Adam Reilly talks it through with Erin Tiernan, author and editor of the political newsletter MASSterList, who reported on Kennedy’s kickoff, and UMass Boston political scientist Erin O’Brien, who contends there’s good reason for the press to focus its attention elsewhere.
Do you consider RFK Jr. a legitimate candidate? If so, why — and if not, why not? Send us a message at TalkingPolitics@wgbh.org, or share your thoughts via the Talking Politics page.
You can watch the discussion below right now, or catch the full show at 7 p.m. on GBH 2. Subscribe to the GBH News’ YouTube channel to get alerted to future episodes.
