Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Files to Challenge President Joe Biden in 2024 Democratic Primary

In recent years, Bobby Jr. has distinguished himself as the most controversial member of the Kennedy dynasty, particularly for spreading disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine amid the pandemic

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president in 2024.

The 69-year-old nephew of late President John F. Kennedy and son of late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Democratic candidate for president in 2024. His father was assassinated in the same position, seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.

Kennedy alluded that he would run for the office in a tweet last month asking people to "help me decide whether to run for president."

"If it looks like I can raise the money and mobilize enough people to win, I'll jump in the race," he tweeted. "If I run, my top priority will be to end the corrupt merger between state and corporate power that has ruined our economy, shattered the middle class, polluted our landscapes and waters, poisoned our children, and robbed us of our values and freedoms."

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Kennedy, who is married to Curb Your Enthusiasm actress Cheryl Hines, is known for his work as an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine conspiracist, having invited criticism for spreading disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic and founding anti-vaccine nonprofit Children's Health Defense.

He lobbied Congress to allow parents to opt out of state requirements for vaccinating their children, and a 2019 study found that Children's Health Defense had paid for more than half of the ads on Facebook that promoted false claims about vaccines, according to The New York Times.

Related:RFK Jr. Apologizes for Anne Frank Reference in Anti-Vaccine Speech After Backlash from Wife, Others

He has also criticized the U.S. government and U.S. former top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing a 2021 book called The Real Anthony Fauci that accused the doctor of assisting in "a historic coup d'etat against Western democracy," per the outlet. He also reportedly promoted the use of ivermectin and anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, which have not been recommended by the FDA.

Related:Hydroxychloroquine Was Ineffective Against Coronavirus and Linked to Higher Death Rate, Study Finds

His statements have received backlash, especially one anti-vaccine speech he made in Washington, D.C. comparing U.S. vaccine policies to actions taken by Nazi Germany.

He was also banned from Instagram in 2021 for "sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines," which he called "a formula for catastrophe and a coup d'état against the First Amendment" in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.

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His statements have led multiple family members, including his sister Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and brother Joseph P. Kennedy II, to denounce his anti-vaccine stance in a Politico magazine op-ed, where they wrote that "his and others' work against vaccines is having heartbreaking consequences."

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He is expected to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden, who has previously voiced his plans to "run for reelection," and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who filed to run for president on Saturday, per AP.

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