A group supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president has released a long new ad in which he reads aloud personal attacks from the media during the first minute.
The 30-minute video, released by super PAC American Values 2024 (AV24) on Friday, takes a comedic approach as the controversial independent presidential candidate addresses his critics head-on.
The first minute of the video appears to be inspired by the popular “Jimmy Kimmel Live” segment called “Mean Tweets,” in which the host has his celebrity guests read aloud criticisms about themselves that unknown X accounts have posted online.
The video begins with Kennedy reading: “’He’s crazy and clearly disturbed,’ The Standard; ‘He’s Angry’, Vanity Fair; ‘His own family hates him’, The New York Post; ‘He seems to be transmitting from another galaxy, he’s so crazy’, The New York Post; ‘Kennedy is a humorless bully who lives in a paranoid fantasy’, Vanity Fair; ‘What the hell is wrong with Bobby Kennedy?’”
Someone off camera hands Kennedy cards, which he continues to read.
“’He’s a Walking, Talking Conspiracy Theorist,’ The New York Times; ‘He is completely divorced from reality’, The Guardian; ‘He is vile’, the White House; ‘Being with him was the low point of my summer,’ Vanity Fair. ‘Bobby Kennedy speaks in a hoarse, hoarse, painful voice. His vague explanation is that he’s a virus, but it’s more likely a crazy voice, ‘The Standard; ‘Kennedy is an eccentric’, The New York Times; ‘He’s an Eccentric’, The New York Times; ‘He’s an eccentric who churns out lies the way Taylor Swift churns out perfect pop songs,’ The New York Times; ‘He talks to dead people’, The Guardian.”
Kennedy then laughs to himself and the camera switches to a low, profile shot, giving the appearance of a behind-the-scenes look at the production team. Kennedy leans over his shoulder, looks directly into the camera and says, “I wouldn’t vote for this guy either.”
The title of the video – “Who is Bobby Kennedy?” with the subtitle “’What if he’s not crazy?’” – then flashes on the screen. The rest of the video introduces the audience to the candidate’s biography.
The video was produced by Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show” creator Jay Carson and director Mike Piscitelli, AV24 said in a press release.
“The film tells Kennedy’s story in an eloquent, sincere, motivating and entertaining way. It details how the prevailing narrative about him – ‘crazy’, ‘dangerous’, ‘unbalanced’ – bears little resemblance to the reality of who he is and the work he has done as a successful environmental lawyer and corruption fighter,” he said. the press release. .
After the video’s release on Friday, Facebook and Meta-owned Instagram initially blocked the video on both platforms. A Meta spokesperson said the video was incorrectly flagged as spam and the issue was resolved shortly after it was discovered.
“The link was blocked by mistake and was quickly restored once the issue was discovered,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
AV24, however, committed to moving forward with legal action, alleging censorship.
“When social media companies censor a presidential candidate, the public cannot know what that candidate truly believes and what policies he would pursue if elected,” Tony Lyons, co-founder of AV24, said in a statement.
“We are left with the propaganda and lies of the most powerful and most corrupt groups and individuals. This is the hallmark of an oligarchy – not a democracy,” she added.
The Hill reached out to Meta for a response.