Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed a worm ate part of his brain and then died inside his head during a deposition held as part of his 2012 divorce proceeding.
Investigative reporter Susanne Craig wrote on Wednesday, May 7, that Kennedy started experiencing “memory loss and mental fogginess” in 2010. Friends of the presidential hopeful were rightfully concerned since Kennedy’s uncle, the late Ted Kennedy, died of brain cancer a year before.
According to Craig's report, brain scans revealed a “dark spot” that was first thought to be a tumor, but a second opinion suggested a "dead parasite" was lingering in Kennedy's skull.
Kennedy testified that the doctor had told him that the dark spot on the scans "was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died."
The 2024 Independent candidate also claimed he suffered from mercury poisoning that ended up causing neurological issues during his divorce deposition.
“I have cognitive problems, clearly,” he said at the time. “I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me.”
Kennedy told outlets the poisoning was caused by eating too much fish. “I loved tuna fish sandwiches. I ate them all the time,” he explained.
In the same deposition, Kennedy also stated that other health conditions made him feel as if “there’s a bag of worms in my chest. I can feel immediately when it goes out.”
Despite his previous claims, the 70-year-old Independent candidate has portrayed himself as a younger, more mentally and physically fit alternative to President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77.
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"[Kennedy] has gone to lengths to appear hale, skiing with a professional snowboarder and with an Olympic gold medalist who called him a “ripper” as they raced down the mountain," Craig wrote, "A camera crew was at his side while he lifted weights, shirtless, at an outdoor gym in Venice Beach."
Kennedy claimed he had “fully recovered” from the memory loss, and his campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear released a statement claiming that the idea that Kennedy was unfit to be president now was “a hilarious suggestion, given the competition.”
As OK! previously reported, recent polls show that voter's greatest concern regarding a second Biden term is his old age and mental capabilities.
