Robert Kennedy Jr. picks a terrible week in American history to announce his presidential campaign

Robert Kennedy Jr. is announcing his 2024 presidential campaign on April 19, which was once known for the "shot heard around the world." It was when gunfire broke out in Lexington and Concord, sparking the start of the American Revolution. The colonists began a long and bloody war with the British for independence. While it ended well for the United States, it also meant the then-small country lost many of its citizens.

Today the date means something else for many others, however. April 19 was the final day of the Waco stand off in which ATF and FBI agents moved in to put teargas in the house. A fire was started, which ended with the 76 Branch Davidians cult members killed, including 25 children who were the result of cult leader David Koresh impregnating several young women and minors on the compound.

Two years after Waco, an anti-government, pro-gun veteran detonated a bomb at the U.S. federal building offices in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children. He did it because there were ATF agents in the building that were also in Waco.

The five days between April 15 and 20 are some of the worst in American history. Not only did that week contain the OKC bombing and the end of the Waco stand off, but the Boston Marathon Bombing was also on April 15, the mass shooting at Virginia Tech on April 16, and the Columbine massacre on April 20.

Kennedy is most known for being the son of beloved Democrat Bobby Kennedy, but over time, the former presidential candidate's son has become infamous for his anti-vaccine stance. His anti-vaccine stance is so extreme that at one point, he went on a rant about famous teenage Holocaust victim Anne Frank, who he claimed didn't have it as bad as the people in the U.S. have it. The Auschwitz Memorial issued a very strong statement in opposition.

The first time he declared his intention to run was at a rally against vaccine mandates.

His other platform issues are around climate change, something that President Joe Biden has prioritized in his administration and during former President Barack Obama's administration.

The Kennedys have already said that they have no intention of supporting their relative over Biden.