Josh Reynolds/AP
In the three months since announcing his bid to become the next president of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has largely stayed in his lane of conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine nonsense. But we have also seen some stranger moments, including a video of a shirtless Kennedy working out in jeans and a belt that activated a certain segment of very online bros.
Yet even for a political era defined by demented characters and strange shit, nothing could have prepared me for this story in the New York Post:
The headline is not hyperbole. In fact, it manages to undersell the sheer chaos that erupted Tuesday night at an event showcasing Kennedy, where “two boisterous old men” barreled into a shouting match over climate change. Things like “the climate hoax” and “miserable slob” were reportedly shouted when suddenly one of the men, a columnist called Doug Dechert, pierced the night with an extended fart. “I’m farting!” he declared.
Was this a stunt? No, Dechert later told the Post: “I apologize for using my flatulence as a medium of public commentary in your presence.”
Kennedy reportedly remained stoic during the fracas, which might be the first time I can admit to admiring the guy. As for the stunning weaponization of flatulence—a tactic made famous by lefty organizer Saul Alinsky—it seems fitting that it landed during an event intended to raise Kennedy’s stature with the media.
