RFK Jr. visits Michigan for a campaign. Then he claims 500 million Arabs don’t produce science: ‘textbook display of unvarnished racism and bigotry’
That is his opinion
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked controversy on Monday with remarks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he voiced support for Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Kennedy criticized Rogers’ Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, in comments that appeared to target his Arab ancestry.
“There’s five hundred million Arabs in the world. And yet they don’t produce science. They don’t win the Nobel Prize. They don’t win the Fields Prize. They don’t win the Wolf Prize,” RFK Jr. said in an angry rant. For those unfamiliar, El-Sayed was born a U.S. citizen, but his father was an Egyptian immigrant, a fact he has openly acknowledged during his campaign.
Among those who raised their voice against RFK Jr.’s comments, which the Washington Post deemed untrue, was the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which seeks to “defend the oppressed”, “defend free speech”, and “advance justice for all,” according to their website. According to CBS News, they said, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vile anti-Arab rant is a textbook display of unvarnished racism and bigotry.”
Referring to RFK Jr., they also said, “His sweeping erasure of Arab contributions to humanity is not only maliciously false, but it also fans the flames of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate at a time when communities are already vulnerable to bigoted attacks from other public officials nationwide.” NBC News reported that the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment, despite being contacted.
RFK Jr. referred to the Muslim Brotherhood
During his speech, RFK Jr. also commented on Arabian history. Speaking of the Arabs, he said, “They don’t produce literature. They used to produce. They were the first to make books. In the 13th century, typical Muslim princes had books in their libraries that existed in all of Europe.”
He alleged that the Muslim Brotherhood (the world’s oldest and arguably most influential contemporary Islamist movement, according to The George Washington University) had destroyed that “tradition” and created “stagnant societies.” He inferred that the same has resulted in hatred, war, and victimization.
Sayed was recently asked if he disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood
At a town hall in Caro, Michigan, on October 17, 2026, an audience member asked Sayed whether he disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood. Sayed did disavow the group, but instead of giving a direct “no,” he elaborated, challenging the questioner and asking why he had singled him out. CNN shared their interaction on YouTube, and it has amassed millions of views since then.
According to The Guardian, the man who posed this question to Sayed was Thomas “Tommy” Teepell, the son of Republican adviser Timothy “Timmy” Teepell. The source reports that Timmy Teepell recently received $250,000 for “canvassing and influencer marketing” opposing El-Sayed.
According to The Guardian, Timmy Teepell’s firm, Breakthrough LLC, received a payment of $250,000 on September 29, 2026, from America Next, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that shares an office suite with the firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing. The filing states the funds would support canvassing and influencer marketing to oppose El-Sayed. This is the group’s only independent expenditure reported since 2015.
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