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HomeBusinessInstagram lifts ban on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after vaccine comments

Instagram lifts ban on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after vaccine comments


Instagram reinstated presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s account on Sunday after a two-year ban that was triggered by the anti-vaxxer’s claims about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Kennedy’s account was yanked from the app in 2021 over “repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,” a spokesperson told The Post at the time.

The prominent anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer touted 800,000 followers on the platform when his account was banned.

Since getting his account back on Sunday — two months after the Democrat announced his White House bid — Kennedy boasts 773,000 followers and a blue “verified” check mark but zero posts.

His bio, however, has been updated to promote his new campaign site, which details his six “priorities:” honest government, reconciliation, environment, revitalization, peace and civil liberties.


Two years after having his account yanked from Instagram for sharing bogus information related to the COVID-19 vaccine, presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has had his account reinstated.
Getty Images

Kennedy’s nonprofit, Children’s Health Defense, was also pulled from Meta-owned social media sites Instagram and Facebook in August 2022 over spreading medical misinformation.

The 69-year-old son of the assassinated presidential candidate has run the organization, which fights against vaccine propaganda, since 2018.

The Children’s Health Defense’s Instagram and Facebook pages have not been reinstated, according to The Post’s Instagram search.


RFK Jr. Instagram page
Kennedy Jr. touts 773,000 followers — a bit less than the 800,000 he had when his account was revoked in 2021.

Kennedy’s Facebook page, meanwhile, was never revoked. The company doesn’t automatically disable accounts across all of its apps, as users may post different things on different platforms, a Facebook spokesperson said.

The Post reached out to Meta for comment.

In his latest bid to oust President Biden from the White House, Kennedy is set to join Elon Musk in a Twitter Spaces event Monday afternoon.


Kennedy Jr. is a staunch anti-vaxxer who has likened COVID-related lockdowns to the Holocaust.
Kennedy Jr. is a staunch anti-vaxxer who has likened COVID-related lockdowns to the Holocaust.
AP

The to-do, titled “Reclaiming Democracy,” will be moderated by entrepreneur and tech investor David Sacks, Musk’s longtime friend who also played referee in the billionaire’s glitchy discussion with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Twitter Spaces just two weeks ago.

Kennedy teased that there will be a question-and-answer session. “Tweet me your questions with #AskKennedy,” he shared in a post with his 1.3 million Twitter followers.

It’s unclear what Kennedy plans to discuss, though he’s slammed vaccines — and even likened pandemic lockdowns to the Holocaust — supported legal immigration and criticized printing more money as a way to bolster the rich.

However, Kennedy — the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy — is still the long-shot Democratic candidate, according to a poll conducted by Fox and shared during Friday’s “The Faulker Focus.”

The poll, which was taken before Kennedy held a single event, shows he has 16% support in the Democracy primary. President Biden, meanwhile, stands at 62%.



This story originally appeared on NYPost

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