Kennedy Addresses COVID‑19 Racial Targeting Claims

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made comments on July 15, 2023, at a private event in New York in which he stated that “COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately” and suggested there is “an argument” the virus may affect some groups more than others.

Kennedy later clarified that he did not mean the virus was deliberately engineered to target or spare any racial or ethnic group. He referenced genetic studies in his remarks, but experts criticized his interpretation.

Multiple Jewish and Asian advocacy groups condemned the remarks, stating they could spread misleading ideas about COVID-19 and racial susceptibility. Public health officials noted differences in COVID-19 impacts among populations are related to social and economic factors rather than any biologically targeted effect of the virus.

His exact words were: “Covid-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”