RFK Jr claims Biden is a ‘bigger threat to democracy’ than Trump

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr said he believes President Joe Biden poses a larger threat to democracy than former president Donald Trump because the Biden administration has censored misinformation on social media platforms.

Joining Erin Burnett on CNN Monday night, Mr Kennedy argued that the Biden administration had violated the First Amendment in asking social media companies to reduce misinformation, which he claims is more dangerous than Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

“The greatest threat to democracy is not somebody who questions election returns but a president of the United States who uses the power of his office to force the social media companies, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, to open a portal and give access to that portal to the FBI, to the CIA, to the IRS, the CISA, the NIH, to censor his political critics,” Mr Kennedy said.

He was seemingly referencing a recent lawsuit at the Supreme Court between the Biden administration and several states that claim the government overstepped its authority in asking social media companies to block or take down misinformation about Covid-19, vaccines and the 2020 election.

Mr Kennedy, who is known for spreading anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, unsuccessfully attempted to join the lawsuit because his Instagram account was suspended in 2021 for sharing “debunked claims” about Covid-19 and vaccines. His account was later reinstated.

Though the court blocked him from joining the suit, a similar case between Mr Kennedy and the Biden administration is pending in lower courts.

Mr Kennedy campaigns on the importance of the First Amendment and paints himself as a victim of the government’s authority – claiming his social media page was targeted due to his political status and he was denied secret service protection by President Biden.

For these reasons, he believes Mr Biden poses a larger threat to democracy, though he acknowledged the danger of Mr Trump trying to overturn the 2020 election.

“[Trump] trying to overthrow the election, clearly is a threat to democracy,” Mr Kennedy said.

Mr Kennedy added that he thought the 2000 presidential election was “stolen” from Al Gore.

Mr Kennedy has been accused of bolstering conspiracy theories before and during his campaign and using his status as the son of Robert F Kennedy to attract more support – a point that has led his own high-profile family to draw criticism toward him.