Internet slams RFK Jr for saying he refused to wear mask during pandemic to avoid 'living like a slave'

WASHINGTON, DC: On Friday, May 24, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the independent presidential candidate, spoke at the Libertarian National Convention and shared a story about his perspective on wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Per Mediaite, Kennedy Jr recounted an incident where he was not wearing a mask at a gathering when a crew from NBC News approached him.

“They asked me why I wasn’t wearing a mask, which, nobody was, except for the NBC film crew,” he remarked to a lively crowd.

“They said, ‘Wasn’t I scared of dying of Covid?’ And I said to them, ‘There’s a lot worse things than dying.’ And they said to me, ‘Like what?’ And I said, ‘Like living like a slave,'” the 70-year-old stated to a rapturous response from the audience.

What did Robert F Kennedy Jr say about vaccination amid the pandemic few years ago?

Robert F Kennedy Jr gained attention for publicly expressing his opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine when it was developed and, in certain cases, mandated.

Throughout the years, Kennedy Jr's stance on vaccines has shifted from outright criticism to denying that he was ever against vaccines.

Last year, while Kennedy Jr testified before Congress during a censorship hearing, he explained, “I’m subjected to this new form of censorship, which is called targeted propaganda, where people apply pejoratives like ‘anti-vaxx.’ I’ve never been anti-vaccine. But everybody in this room probably believes that I have been because that’s the prevailing narrative.”

Kennedy Jr did, however, opine to The Washington Post that same day that the US's vaccination program "contributed to the large toll of excess mortality in the second year of the pandemic."

“We’re seeing in 2021 and ’22, this huge increase in excess deaths that nobody is asking about. Nobody is explaining, how is that happening?” he posed at the time.

Kennedy Jr is not the only 2024 presidential candidate to change his stance on vaccines.

During his presidency, Donald Trump endorsed Operation Warp Speed, which expedited the development of a highly effective Covid-19 vaccine.

Subsequently, the 77-year-old MAGA strongman distanced himself from this achievement and aligned with the anti-vaccination rhetoric of the far-right, vowing to “not give one penny” to schools and colleges that mandate the vaccine.

The former POTUS posted on Truth Social earlier this month, claiming that Kennedy Jr “said the other night that vaccines are fine. He said it on a show, a television show, that vaccines are fine. He’s all for them. And that’s what he said. And for those of you that want to vote because you think he’s an anti-vaxxer, he’s not really an anti-vaxxer.”

Internet lambasts RFK Jr for claiming that he went maskless during the pandemic 

One X user remarked, "This is so dumb it’s just ridiculous on another level. He literally rather die than wear a mask."

Another user quipped, "Definitely not the sharpest pencil in the box…"

Another user wrote, "I wouldn't care if he died. It's all the people who could have died because HE INFECTED THEM that bothers me. But that possibility clearly doesn't bother him."

One user claimed, "These are the biggest snowflakes ever. And again, you wearing that mask prevents transmission of your unvaccinated germs to others."

Another X user said, "In other words, he doesn’t care if he kills people by giving them Covid."

Finally, this user tweeted, "Wow RFK Jr needs a history lesson on slavery."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.