Story by Anna Skinner
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens as he is introduced by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach during the World Values Network’s Presidential candidate series at the Glasshouse on July 25, 2023 in New York City. On Friday, Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign.© Getty
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voiced his concerns about Americans struggling with obesity and chronic disease during his Friday speech in which he endorsed former President Donald Trump.
On Friday, Kennedy announced that he was suspending his campaign. Speculation that Kennedy, an independent presidential candidate, and running mate Nicole Shanahan would withdraw from the race and “join forces” with Trump surfaced earlier this week following an interview between Shanahan and Impact Theory co-founder Tom Bilyeu. At the time, influencers involved in Trump’s Make America Great Again movement applauded the decision.
RFK Jr. Calls Out Obese Americans: ‘They Were Sent to the Circus’
During his comments on Friday, Kennedy voiced concerns about various issues, including “the most important issue,” which he said was American health care. Kennedy shared statistics that nearly three-fourths of Americans are overweight or obese, with 50 percent of children classified as overweight or obese.
“One hundred and 20 years ago, when somebody was obese, they were sent to the circus,” Kennedy said. “There were literally case reports done about them. Obesity was almost unknown.”
Newsweek reached out to the Kennedy campaign by email for comment.
Now, obesity is a health problem that millions of Americans face. Kennedy also voiced concern about other health issues, such as chronic disease and autism rates.
“We spend more on health care than any country on Earth, twice what they pay in Europe, and yet we have the worst health outcomes of any nation in the world,” Kennedy said. “Nobody has a chronic disease burden like we have.”
Twenty percent of children and 40 percent of adults have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. Someone is classified as overweight if their BMI falls between 25 and 29.9. Data from the CDC reveals that West Virginia, Louisiana and Oklahoma have the highest percentage of obese residents.
Kennedy went on to blame ultra-processed food and toxic chemicals as the culprits behind the poor health plaguing so many Americans.
Health has been a big focus of Kennedy’s campaign. During Shanahan’s interview with Bilyeu this week in which she said that the Kennedy campaign was considering joining forces with Trump, Shanahan said Kennedy could be a prime candidate to serve as secretary for health and human services.
Trump, who said that crime and the border top the list of most-important issues facing Americans, said he is “open” to appointing Kennedy in some role. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., agreed that Kennedy could be given “some sort of oversight” role in a number of government agencies, including the CIA and FBI, if Trump is reelected this fall.
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