The 69-year-old’s campaign to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination is a long shot. Self-help author Marianne Williamson is also running in the Democratic race.
Kennedy,a nephew of former president John F Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F Kennedy,was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water.
He is also the cousin ofCaroline Kennedy,the current US ambassador to Australia.
More than 15 years ago,he became fixated on a belief that vaccines were not safe. He emerged as one of the leading voices in the anti-vaccine movement,and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous.
Kennedy had been long involved in the anti-vaccine movement,but the effort intensified after the coronavirus pandemic and development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
His anti-vaccine charity,Children’s Health Defence,prospered during the pandemic. Revenue more than doubled in 2020 to $US6.8 million ($10 million),according to filings made with charity regulators.