Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Instagram account has been restored

2025-01-19 07:16:09 source: category:Invest

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Instagram account has been reinstated, over a month after he announced his presidential bid, a spokesperson for Meta, the platform's parent company, said in a statement to CBS News on Monday. 

Kennedy, the nephew of the late president John F. Kennedy and son of former U.S. attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, complained last week that his personal account hadn't been reinstated despite launching his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, saying it was "profoundly undemocratic" to not let him on Instagram. 

But over the weekend, his account with more than 770,000 followers was back up and running. 

"As he is now an active candidate for president of the United States, we have restored access to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s, Instagram account," a Meta spokesperson said. 

A Meta executive said in 2019 the company would not prevent a politician's speech from its reaching audience. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits "The Faulkner Focus" at Fox News Channel Studios on June 2, 2023 in New York City. Getty Images

Kennedy has been outspoken about his anti-vaccine advocacy. His account was previously removed from Instagram in 2021 after he repeatedly shared "debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines," a spokesperson for Meta said at the time. Instagram and Facebook's ban on Kennedy's anti-vaccine group, the Children's Health Defense, is still intact. 

Kennedy kicked off his campaign in Boston in April and called himself a "Kennedy Democrat," despite being linked to some far-right figures. His challenge to President Biden has little to no chance of succeeding, and his anti-vaccine stance is at odds with the overwhelming majority of Democrats. He announced he will speak about his campaign with Elon Musk on Twitter Spaces on Monday. 

Christopher Brito

Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.

More:Invest

Recommend

3 Iraqis tortured at Abu Ghraib win $42M judgement against defense contractor

Three former Abu Ghraib prisoners won a $42 million judgement Tuesday against an American defense co

Eras Tour in Australia: Tracking Taylor Swift's secret songs in Melbourne and Sydney

MELBOURNE, Australia — Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour and acoustic set down under for her larges

FBI informant lied to investigators about Bidens' business dealings, special counsel alleges

Washington — The special counsel who is investigating the president's son, Hunter Biden, charged a o