来自著名政治肯尼迪家族的反疫苗活动家兼律师小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪周三宣布，他将作为民主党人参加2024年的总统竞选。
这位69岁的前司法部长罗伯特·F·肯尼迪的儿子，约翰·肯尼迪总统的侄子，在波士顿的波士顿公园广场宣布参选。
“今天，我来到这里，宣布我将竞选民主党提名的美国总统候选人，”他说，并指出，他的竞选和总统任期的目标将是“结束国家和企业权力的腐败合并。”
肯尼迪自21世纪以来一直支持疫苗犹豫，他已经成为最突出的声音在反疫苗运动中，据专家称，作为儿童健康防御的创始人，这是一个主要以反疫苗努力而闻名的非营利组织。
肯尼迪自称为“终身民主党人”，因为他支持批评者所谓的新冠肺炎阴谋疫苗已经获得了一些不太可能的右翼伙伴的支持。
“小RFK可能会参加共和党总统初选，我认为只有(罗恩)德桑蒂斯和(前总统唐纳德)特朗普会做得更好，”特朗普前顾问史蒂夫·班农最近在MyPillow首席执行官迈克·林德尔的流媒体节目“林德尔电视”上说
在他的声明中，肯尼迪试图在他的党派和他们的对手之间穿针引线。
肯尼迪说:“在这次竞选和我执政期间，我的目标是让尽可能多的美国人忘记他们是共和党人还是民主党人，记住他们是美国人。”。“我们需要关注我们共有的价值观，而不是导致我们分裂的问题，”他说。
他现在将面对玛丽安娜·威廉森，一位在3月4日宣布参选的自助作家。他可能还会反对总统乔·拜登，拜登一再表示，他打算在2024年竞选连任，除非他的健康等一些重大问题。然而，这位民主党人还没有正式宣布决定。
白宫拒绝对肯尼迪周三的总统声明发表评论，新闻秘书郭佳欣·让-皮埃尔援引《哈奇法案》(HATCH Act)——一项限制联邦雇员政治活动的法律——来回避有关拜登潜在对手的问题。
“所以现在是2024年——哈奇法案——我不会去碰它，”她在新闻发布会上说。"我不会用12英尺长的杆子去碰它."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches unlikely presidential bid as a Democrat
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and attorney from the famed political Kennedy family, announced on Wednesday that he is running for president in 2024 as a Democrat.
Son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, the 69-year-old launched his candidacy at Boston Park Plaza in Boston.
"I've come here today to announce my candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States," he said, noting that the aim of his campaign, and presidency, would be to "end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power."
Kennedy, who has espoused vaccine hesitancy since the 2000s, has become one of the mostprominent voicesin the anti-vaccine movement, according to experts, as the founder of Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit organization known mainly for its anti-vaccine efforts.
Kennedy, a self-described "lifelong Democrat," through his support of what critics call conspiracies about the COVID-19vaccines, has garnered support from some unlikely bedfellows on the right.
"RFK Jr. could jump into the Republican primary for president, and only [Ron] DeSantis and [former President Donald] Trump, I think, would do better," former Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently said on MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's streaming program, "Lindell TV."
President Joe Biden at Farmleigh House, in Dublin, April 13, 2023.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters, FILE
During his announcement, Kennedy tried to thread the needle between his party affiliation and their opponents.
"During this campaign and during my administration my objective will be to make as many Americans as possible forget that they are Republicans or Democrats and remember that they are Americans," Kennedy said. "We need to focus on the values we share instead of the issues that divide us," he said.
He'll now face Marianne Williamson, a self-help author who announced her bid on March 4. He'll likely also oppose President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly said he intends to run for reelection in 2024 barring some major issues such as his health. However, the Democrat has not officially announced a decision.
The White House declined to comment on Kennedy's presidential announcement on Wednesday, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre invoking the HATCH Act -- a law that restricts political activities of federal employees -- to dodge questions about a potential Biden opponent.
"So it's 2024 -- the HATCH Act -- I'm not going to touch that," she said at a press briefing. "I'm not going to touch that with a 12-foot pole."
