Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joked about his “brain worm” while speaking to attendees at the Libertarian National Convention on Friday, referring to The New York Times’s reporting earlier this month that he once claimed a parasite ate part of his brain.
The quip came as he was listing examples of what he argued were the government’s violations of the Bill of Rights.
“Again and again, they’ve cited some pretext to suspend and volunteer — and violate our constitutional rights. There’s always a reason why, right now, the rights are an inconvenience that we can’t afford,” Kennedy told attendees at the Washington Hilton.
“It was the Red Scare in the 1920s. It was [Sen.] Joe McCarthy in the 1950s. It was civil rights protests and the Vietnam War protesters in the 1960s. It was the war on drugs in the 1970s. It was the war on terror after 2001. And most recently, it was the COVID pandemic,” he said, before joking, “Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory.”
Kennedy’s remarks come a day before former President Trump is set to address the crowd at the same event. The nephew of former President Kennedy is running a long-shot bid to take on Trump and President Biden, though recent polling suggests he could be more of a spoiler.
Kennedy dealt with cognitive issues in 2010, later seeing physicians for his symptoms. Earlier this month, the Times reported on a deposition from 2012 in which Kennedy claimed a doctor had told him that the reason why a dark spot had shown up during brain scans was because a worm was inside his brain and ate part of it before dying.
But the campaign disputed that report, telling The Hill in a statement, “Mr. Kennedy traveled extensively in Africa, South America, and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate, and in one of those locations contracted a parasite. The issue was resolved more than 10 years ago, and he is in robust physical and mental health.”
“Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s health is a hilarious suggestion, given his competition,” the campaign added.
It’s the latest twist in the long-shot presidential candidate’s campaign, as Kennedy’s remarks and those of his running mate have attracted bizarre headlines. Kennedy initially launched his candidacy as a Democrat before dropping that to run as an independent.