President Joe Biden received his most serious challenge from within the Democratic Party this week with the announcement that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK) would be challenging him for the 2024 presidential nomination.
Kennedy is the son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY). Kennedy, Sr. also served as attorney general during his brother President John F. Kennedy’s administration. Kennedy, Sr. was assassinated during his 1968 presidential campaign.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be facing an uphill battle against the incumbent president but has already attracted significant attention.
What Are the Democrats Going to Do About Their RFK-for-Prez Problem? https://t.co/psd9wCrLDP
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) April 7, 2023
The president is now facing opposition from within one of the most well-connected and known families in Democratic Party politics.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s profile has increased in recent years since the unveiling of the COVID-19 vaccine at the end of 2020. Kennedy has criticized the development and use of the vaccine, arguing that it is not safe for general use.
CNN’s Jake Tapper said that Kennedy’s anti-vaccine activism “has linked him at times with anti-democratic figures and groups.” RFK has attended rallies that assert that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election.
Kennedy runs Children’s Health Defense, which argues against vaccine mandates for children. He has also been an outspoken critic of mandatory vaccinations, both prior to and since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Kennedy has been targeted by social media outlets, including being removed from Instagram following criticism of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last month, prior to the announcement, Kennedy said that his top priority would be “to end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power that has ruined our economy, shattered the middle class, polluted our landscapes and waters, poisoned our children and robbed us of our values and freedoms.”
“Together we can restore America’s democracy,” he said.
RFK is the second Democrat to announce a challenge to Biden. 2020 candidate and author Marianne Williamson announced another bid for the White House earlier this year.
Biden has not made a formal announcement about whether or not he would seek another term in 2020. His wife, Jill Biden, has previously indicated that he will run again.
