A parasitic worm “ate a portion” of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s brain and caused memory loss, the presidential candidate said in a 2012 deposition that was reported by The New York Times on May 8.
The independent presidential candidate—who is an avid weightlifter, rock climber, and skier—responded to the shocking news with a light-hearted post on X, formerly Twitter.
“I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President (Donald) Trump and President (Joe) Biden in a debate,” he wrote.
“I feel confident of the result even with a six-worm handicap,” he added.
Mr. Kennedy has challenged President Trump and President Biden to a debate. Neither candidate has accepted the invitation.
The brain worm report stemmed from a deposition that Mr. Kennedy gave in 2012 during his divorce from Mary Richardson Kennedy, his second wife.
In the deposition, which was not independently corroborated by The Epoch Times, Mr. Kennedy said he visited doctors in 2010 after experiencing memory loss and brain fog.
Concerned that he might have a brain tumor, Mr. Kennedy was urged by friends to seek medical attention. Brain scans discovered a dark spot. He was diagnosed with brain cancer, and surgery was scheduled at Duke University Medical Center.
Mr. Kennedy packed for the hospital but was called by a doctor in New York who said he was improperly diagnosed.
The dark spot on the brain scan was instead caused “by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died,” The New York Times reported Mr. Kennedy saying in his deposition.
Mr. Kennedy noted in a media interview earlier this year that he has recovered from the memory loss and brain fog, and feels no aftereffects from the ailment.
In the deposition, Mr. Kennedy contended that he was making less money because of the health condition and that he also had mercury poisoning around the same time. He attributed that to a fish-rich diet.
Dr. Janina Caira is a University of Connecticut professor and tapeworm specialist. She told Business Insider that a pork tapeworm was the likely parasite that afflicted Mr. Kennedy.
The worm can infect humans through undercooked pork but they can only be infected with the larvae after drinking water or consuming food contaminated by the feces of a person with an adult tapeworm infection, she said.
When asked if the worm could have eaten some of Mr. Kennedy’s brain tissue, she responded, “Absolutely not.”
The larvae don’t have mouths or digestive systems, according to the doctor. A worm can create some “mechanical damage” to nearby brain tissue, but a single one “would not cause much damage.”
The White House and President Trump’s campaign had not commented on The New York Times report as of 7 p.m. on May 8.
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) generated widespread reaction when he took to X the afternoon of May 8 and wrote, “You either die a Kennedy with a hole in your brain or live long enough to become a Kennedy with a hole in the brain.”
By 6 p.m. on May 8, Mr. Collins’ post had been viewed 3.5 million times and received 15,000 likes. Many of the 9,500 responses chastised the Congressman for the remark. Some encouraged him to delete the post.
President Biden is 81 and questions linger about his mental fitness. President Trump is 77. Mr. Kennedy, 70, has demonstrated his physical fitness multiple times since announcing his candidacy for president in April 2023.
A proponent of fitness and nutrition, Mr. Kennedy gained attention last year when a video on social media showed him lifting weights shirtless.
Last year, he also posted a social media video that showed him on the edge of a cliff. He promised to dive into the water if a set fundraising goal was met. Days later, when the number was achieved, he fulfilled the promise and dove off the cliff into the ocean.
In an interview with The Epoch Times on April 21, Mr. Kennedy was jokingly asked whether he would challenge Presidents Biden and Trump to a cliff diving competition.
“I’ll start with challenging them to a debate,” he said with a laugh.
Mr. Kennedy, President Trump, and President Biden have not released their medical records during the election cycle. The White House published a health summary for President Biden in February and President Trump posted a statement from his doctor on Truth Social last November.
Regarding the brain worm report, Stefanie Spear, Mr. Kennedy’s press secretary, told The Epoch Times in a statement that he traveled extensively in Africa, South America, and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate.
In one of those locations, he contracted a parasite, she explained.
“The issue was resolved more than 10 years ago, and he is in robust physical and mental health. Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s health is a hilarious suggestion, given his competition.”
