Who can benefit from the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the third man in the American presidential election to be held in November? With six months to go, the question remains unanswered but the independent candidate continues to be the focus of many attacks. Many on the right and left are trying to dissuade him from persisting, especially since his campaign is riddled with controversy.

An environmental lawyer and champion of the anti-vax movement, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is struggling not to undermine his own cause. On a number of subjects, his positions are nebulous and sometimes contradictory. In an e-mail to supporters, he described the January 6, 2021 rioters at Washington's Capitol as "activists" who had been "deprived of their constitutional freedoms." No sooner had his team called the initiative "a mistake" than he did it again on Thursday, May 9, on MSNBC. All the demonstrators on Capitol Hill were "unarmed," he argued. And he does not rule out pardoning some of those convicted if elected.

The nephew of former president John F. Kennedy surprised even his running mate, former Democrat billionaire Nicole Shanahan, on abortion. He argued on Thursday that abortion should be legal until the end of pregnancy. Astonished, the vice-presidential candidate cited a "communication problem." At the start of his campaign in August 2023, "RFK" had come out in favor of an opposing position, namely a federal ban on abortion after three months.

Since the New York Times' May 8 revelations about his health, 70-year-old Robert Kennedy Jr. has been the target of half-horrified, half-commiserating reactions. According to the newspaper, which quotes the candidate's own words in a court deposition, a worm has eaten away part of his brain, causing significant after-effects, including cognitive problems. The deposition, dated 2012, took place in the context of his divorce from his second wife. Robert Kennedy Jr. pleaded that his income had dropped significantly as a result of his health problem. In particular, he claimed to be affected by "long- and short-term memory loss."

Interviewed by the newspaper, the candidate explained that surgeons had initially thought it was a brain tumor before discovering that the parasite had died and there was no need to operate. Later, his memory problems were attributed to mercury poisoning, which, according to the candidate, was the result of a diet rich in fish.

According to his spokeswoman, Stefanie Spear, Robert Kennedy Jr. contracted the parasite during one of his many trips abroad. The after-effects have disappeared. "The problem was resolved over 10 years ago," she insisted, before deeming it "hilarious" that anyone would question the candidate's physical condition "given the competition" he faces in the presidential race, namely Joe Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 77.

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