A brief account of the bizarre incident involving Robert Kennedy (RFK)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The independent presidential candidate is perhaps best known for his anti-vaccine views and penchant for spreading conspiracy theories, having admitted that back in 2014 he dumped a dead bear in New York’s Central Park.

In a video posted on X on Sunday, Kennedy He revealed that he left a bike and the bear’s body in the park hoping it would appear as if the cyclist had killed the bear, which would be “interesting”. Provoked major news reports At the time — which sparked a years-long mystery about how the bear got there. The story was originally planned as A long review in The New Yorker Kennedy’s magazine, which recounted the anecdote, which seemed to prompt Kennedy to share his opinion.

This bear incident is also Countless problematic behaviors Kennedy is suspected of spreading Medical misinformation and the accusation Sexual misconduct. he is Previously in the headlinesHe was also charged after revealing that a parasite had eaten part of his brain. Overall, the revelations have heightened his idiosyncratic personality and haphazard policy positions.

Despite his controversial behavior and positions, Kennedy managed to maintain Screening Support Foundation People were attracted to his anti-establishment stance and believed he was the only candidate who was not afraid to speak out.

recent FiveThirtyEight voting aggregation Kennedy is polling at about 5.5 percent in the presidential race against Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the poll showed. Less than 10.3% He earned the title in a FiveThirtyEight roundup in March, when President Joe Biden was still the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Kennedy, progressive scholar Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are among those running as independents or third parties, so other candidates may help decide This will be a close election — Especially in history Win by a narrow margin.

In X video, Kennedy said he was heading to the Hudson Valley Falcon when he saw the car in front of him hit and killed a bear cub.

“I pulled over, picked up the bear and put it in the back of my van because I was going to skin it,” Kennedy explained. “The bear was in really good condition and I was going to put the meat in the freezer.”

According to Kennedy, the falconry trip took so long that he was unable to get home in time and had to rush to New York for dinner. Because that dinner also took longer than expected, he was unable to bring the bear home before his flight that evening.

Faced with these time constraints, Kennedy said he and those around him decided the best option was to place the bear in Central Park and make it look like a bicycle had killed the cub because “it would make everyone laugh.” Kennedy said that after doing so, he saw a large amount of news coverage of the incident the next day and began to worry that he would get in trouble with law enforcement, but he has not come forward to admit his involvement until now.

Bear’s discovery It sparked an investigation into animal crueltyand raised questions about how the animal’s carcass got into New York City.

This was not the only worrying incident during Kennedy’s presidential campaign – others included He allegedly ate dog meat, sparking outrage Serious sexual assault allegations. Eliza Cooney, who worked as a live-in nanny for the Kennedy family, accused Kennedy of groping her at his home and touching her leg during a business meeting. Kennedy said the article reporting the sexual assault allegations was “very disturbing.” Published in Vanity Fair — is “trash,” but added that he is not a “church boy.” After the Vanity Fair report was published, Cooney shared a text message from Kennedy I gave her The Washington Post.She said she “didn’t remember the incident” but apologized for any behavior that might have made her feel uncomfortable.

The same Vanity Fair article outlined a pattern of strange and disturbing behavior, including sending nude photos of women to friends and spreading conspiracy theories about everything from the coronavirus to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a pattern also highlighted in a New Yorker profile. “He would say some crazy things,” his sister Rory Kennedy said, according to Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair reports.

Kennedy’s policy platform focuses on false anti-vaccine rhetoric that has widely linked childhood vaccines to autism. Debunked by doctors and scientistsOne of his organizations also pays A significant portion of Facebook ads Spread false information about vaccines, The New York Times reportedHis stance was associated with real harm: At one point, Kennedy and his nonprofit spread misinformation about vaccines in American Samoa and potentially Leading to a massive measles outbreak In this area, FactCheck.org NotesKennedy also spread conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. And falsely claimed it was “racially targeted” To avoid harming Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese. In the campaignhe translated these positions into speeches about the importance of protecting people’s “health” and the need to fight chronic disease and remove toxins from food.

Kennedy’s supporters and his critics opposed him for the same reasons.

Overall, his supporters, who span the ideological spectrum, see him as outspoken on issues like vaccines when politicians from both parties don’t. Likewise, they see him as someone willing to call out the political establishment, citing his past record as an environmental lawyer taking on big business.

“He doesn’t belong in that party structure. Those parties are authoritarian and don’t allow for dissent. Anyone who goes against Democratic orthodoxy is thrown out,” said Kevin Nally, a Kennedy supporter and former Democratic voter. told Reuters.

Part of his early support may also be because he offers an alternative to Biden and Trump, both of whom carry their own baggage for many voters. Already rejected With Harris joining the race, that could still make a difference in the election if he can pick up votes in key swing states — something his campaign is still working to do. Pennsylvania and other places.

Earlier this year, Kennedy’s campaign said he had been cleared to run in Michigan, one of a handful of states that will be key battlegrounds. Former President Donald Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just over 10,700 votes, or about 0.3 percentage points. Biden beat Trump by just over 3 percentage points in 2020. Polls show This year may be more like 2016 than 2020.

Barbara Perry, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, told Vox that if Kennedy “gets 1% in those close battleground states, it could result in one candidate losing the presidency or the other candidate winning.”

This dynamic was evident in past third-party candidates, including independent businessman Ross Perot in 1992, who was seen as siphoning support away from President George H.W. Bush, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein in 2016, who was seen as undercutting support for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (Studies show that both Perot nor Stan But it actually changed their election.)

Polls suggest Kennedy could actually have an impact on both parties, as his views span more conservative ideas, such as his anti-vaccination stance, to more pro-climate proposals, such as calling on companies to bear the costs of pollution. But despite being a Democrat, Kennedy could be more harmful to Trump, as they align on vaccine mandates and coronavirus restrictions. The campaign does have some concerns About Kennedy.