By Fatma Younis
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr faced widespread condemnation on Wednesday after delivering what critics described as a “wildly racist tirade” during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday night.
False claims about Arab achievements
Speaking in support of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, Kennedy falsely asserted that the world’s 500 million Arabs “don’t produce science, they don’t win the Nobel prize, they don’t win the Fields prize, they don’t win the Wolf prize, they don’t produce literature.” A fact-check by the Associated Press published Tuesday confirmed that Arabs have won or been shortlisted for all of those awards in recent years.
Condemnation from advocacy groups and lawmakers
The Council on American-Islamic Relations labeled Kennedy’s remarks “a textbook display of unvarnished racism and bigotry,” while the healthcare advocacy organization Protect Our Care denounced his “wildly racist tirade.” Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, who represents western Michigan, called the comments “disgraceful and have no place in public service,” noting that Arab Americans serve as neighbors, healthcare professionals, scientists, and public servants.
Broader campaign attacks on El-Sayed
Kennedy’s rhetoric formed part of a broader attack on the Muslim Brotherhood, which he claimed had created “stagnant societies.” Other Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have sought to portray Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed as a supporter of Islamic radicalism. At a rally in Howell, Michigan, Vance linked El-Sayed to violent left-wing protests in Paris, while Rogers has also emphasized alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood despite his own past calls for engagement with the group.
Democratic response
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who campaigned for El-Sayed last week, warned of a coordinated campaign to delegitimize Muslim Americans “not just as citizens but as humans,” according to Reuters. El-Sayed has repeatedly denied any affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood and disavowed the group at a recent town hall event.
