Bookstores across the United States are opting not to sell Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new book about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kennedy, who is running an independent campaign for president, penned a new book called The Wuhan Cover-Up and the Terrifying Bioweapons Arms Race. The book's description states it is an "explosive expose of the cover-up behind the true origins of COVID-19," but some independent bookstores are reportedly foregoing carrying the book over his past comments about the pandemic.
Kennedy's stance on the COVID-19 vaccination has divided American voters. His calls for greater skepticism surrounding vaccines have been met with condemnation from public health experts, as critics accuse him of spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation. While he has made comments saying he believes "there's no vaccine that is safe and effective," he has also dismissed accusations of being anti-vaccine, telling a crowd "I have never been anti-vax," over the summer, the Associated Press reported.
Bookstore owners offered myriad reasons for not carrying Kennedy's book, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Skyhorse Publishing publisher Tony Lyons told the newspaper that 100,000 copies of the book have been printed, but most copies are going to Amazon rather than independent bookstores.
Sarah Bagby, who owns Watermark Books & Café in Wichita, Kansas, for instance, told the publication her store did not order the book because customer demand is currently favoring romance books.
"We took a pass on this one. People are weary of doomsayer books. We're seeing a surge in romance," she said.
Gayle Shanks, a co-owner of the Arizona-based Changing Hands Bookstore, told the Journal she did not order the book but would place a special order for it if a customer asked.
"I don't think we were happy with his approach to his earlier book about Anthony Fauci, and the new one probably doesn't fit our customer base," she said.
Kennedy previously wrote a book titled Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health, which accuses former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci of assisting in a "historic coup d'état against Western democracy," and touted unfounded COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites.
Newsweek reached out to Kennedy's campaign for comment via email. He told the Journal, "Independent bookstores are the traditional bulwarks against corporate propaganda and government censorship."
While some small bookstores are declining to sell Kennedy's book, it appears to be available online at larger booksellers, such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble, among the largest booksellers in the United States.
According to the book's description, Kennedy "pulls back the curtain on how the US government's increase in biosecurity spending after the 2001 terror attacks set in motion a plan to transform the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the direction of Dr. Anthony Fauci, into a de facto Defense Department agency."
Kennedy initially announced he was running for president as a Democrat, a direct challenge against President Joe Biden, but has since changed his party affiliation to independent, as his stance on issues including COVID-19 and abortion threatened to alienate more liberal Democratic voters. Polls suggest his candidacy may be a long shot, with most voters backing either Biden or former President Donald Trump, a Republican, despite calls for a third-party candidate to break through.
Kennedy in July faced criticism for suggesting the COVID-19 vaccination was "ethnically targeted" to spare Jewish people.
"COVID-19. There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately," Kennedy Jr. said at a press event. "COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese."
Correction 12/1/23, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect that Kennedy, not Fauci, said the COVID-19 vaccination was "ethnically targeted" to spare Jewish people.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
