Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently shared a video of himself doing push-ups outside the renowned Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, while also calling for a debate with Joe Biden. In the accompanying caption, he stated, “Getting in shape for my debates with President Biden!” Several other videos emerged, showing the 69-year-old lifting weights at the same gym, often referred to as the “Mecca of bodybuilding.”
RFK Jr. has consistently expressed his desire to debate Biden, but the White House has largely ignored these calls. A recent poll indicated that a majority of Democrats wanted to see such a debate. In another tweet, Kennedy encouraged everyone to engage in morning calisthenics to prepare themselves for a potential Kennedy Presidency.
Addressing a video where he was recorded doing only nine push-ups, he clarified that he could do more than ten push-ups and that the video captured his last set. These social media posts come in the wake of CNN anchor Jack Tapper publishing a column accusing Kennedy of fabricating a story about their interaction in 2005.
Kennedy had made controversial remarks during an appearance on a podcast hosted by Jordan Peterson on June 5, discussing the media’s coverage of Big Pharma. In the podcast, he claimed that he had collaborated with Tapper on a documentary critical of vaccines, which was allegedly cancelled. Tapper’s account contradicts Kennedy’s claims, stating that he had only conducted a phone interview with Kennedy for an ABC News segment, which was not cancelled.
Tapper criticized Kennedy’s credibility, citing numerous false and unsubstantiated claims made by Kennedy on various important topics. Tapper detailed their interaction, which originated from Kennedy’s co-publishing of an article in Rolling Stone magazine and Salon.com in 2005. The article alleged a link between certain vaccines containing mercury and autism. However, both publications later retracted the article due to factual inaccuracies.
The Jordan Peterson podcast, where Kennedy discussed the alleged documentary collaboration with Tapper, has been deleted from YouTube but remains available on Twitter. Tapper refuted Kennedy’s account of the phone call, stating that Kennedy had been misrepresenting its content for years. Tapper clarified that although the segment was delayed for a day to interview additional experts, it eventually aired on June 22, 2005, without being cancelled.
Tapper’s critical perspective on Kennedy was further expressed during his appearance on the podcast “Pod Save America.” He accused Kennedy of spreading dangerous misinformation about childhood vaccines and confirmed that he would not host Kennedy for a town hall on CNN. Tapper quoted from his own segment to highlight how he had covered Kennedy’s article, emphasizing the medical community’s disagreement with Kennedy’s claims and the lack of a decrease in autism rates despite the removal of thimerosal from most childhood vaccines.
In conclusion, Tapper’s column and subsequent podcast appearances reiterated his doubts about Kennedy’s credibility and accuracy, asserting that Kennedy should not be trusted for factual information.