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RFK Jr.’s Running Mate Shows Ticket’s True Extremism (Again)

Rolling Stone: Is Nicole Shanahan Flirting With QAnon and Christian Nationalism?

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s billionaire running mate, Nicole Shanahan, is once again highlighting the dangers of their extreme and reckless ticket. New reporting from Rolling Stone covers Shanahan’s conspiratorial appeals to QAnon followers and Christian nationalists. 

Since Shanahan was chosen by RFK Jr., it’s been revealed that she has repeatedly referenced “demonic forces,” satanic possession, and spiritual warfare in her public statements. As Rolling Stone notes: “A lawyer by training, Shanahan is a political neophyte, but she’s no dummy. Rhetoric about demonic possession of government plays to two crowds prone to dark superstition: adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory and Christian nationalists.”  

Of course, Shanahan and RFK Jr. are both prone to pushing unfounded conspiracy theories. Both are well-known anti-vaxxers; RFK Jr. himself made a fortune pushing anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. He claimed childhood vaccines cause autism, and he’s also made bizarre claims about COVID-19 being genetically engineered to spare Jewish and Chinese people. RFK Jr., who famously disclosed his own brain damage caused by a parasitic worm, believes that wireless internet causes brain damage in other people. 

“RFK Jr. chose a billionaire political novice as his running mate because he needed a quick financial lifeline for his failing candidacy,” said MoveOn spokesperson Britt Jacovich. “But in choosing the IVF opponent, RFK Jr. also found someone who shares his fringe views, pushes the same conspiracy theories, and is willing to appeal to Trump’s own far-right base, including QAnoners and Christian nationalists. These dangerous conspiracy theorists can’t win the election, but they can effectively spoil the election and help Trump win.”

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