RFK Jr faces backlash for claiming Arabs don't produce science at Michigan campaign event

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces widespread backlash after asserting at an October 26, 2026, campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that 500 million Arabs do not produce science or win prestigious awards like the Nobel, Fields, or Wolf prizes. Civil rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the remarks as racist and inaccurate. Critics highlighted Arab Nobel recipients such as Ahmed Zewail and Naguib Mahfouz, while noting the context of Michigan's tight Senate race.

RFK Jr.'s statements at Michigan event

• ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made his remarks while appearing to support Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers
• ▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated on October 26, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that 500 million Arabs do not produce science or literature.
• ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attributed a decline in Arab scientific and literary contributions to the historical influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.
• ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed that 500 million Arabs do not win the Nobel Prize, Fields Prize, or Wolf Prize.

Backlash from advocacy and civil rights organizations

• ▪The Council on American-Islamic Relations called Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s remarks an unvarnished display of racism and bigotry and demanded his removal from public office.
• ▪The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee condemned Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s statements as blatant anti-Arab bigotry and factually inaccurate.
• ▪Healthcare advocacy organization Protect Our Care described Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments in Michigan as a wildly racist tirade.

Condemnation from Democratic politicians and campaigns

• ▪Democratic Representatives Hillary Scholten and Rashida Tlaib, alongside Senator Chris Murphy, publicly condemned Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s remarks in Grand Rapids.
• ▪Cole Wozniak, a spokesperson for Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s remarks as an attempt to influence voters with racially charged statements.

Arab recipients of international science prizes

• ▪British-born mathematician Michael Atiyah, of Lebanese descent, won the Fields Medal in 1966.
• ▪Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail won the Wolf Prize for Chemistry in 1993 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1999 for pioneering femtochemistry.
• ▪Moungi Bawendi, born in France to a Tunisian father, shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023 for discovering quantum dots.
• ▪Omar M. Yaghi, born in Jordan to a Palestinian refugee family, won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2018 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2025.

Recognition and works of Arabic literature

• ▪Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988 for his literary body of work, including the Cairo Trilogy.
• ▪Classical and modern Arabic literature includes foundational historical works such as One Thousand and One Nights alongside 20th-century novels by authors like Tayeb Salih and Ahmed Saadawi.

Historical contributions of Arab scientists

• ▪Baylor College of Medicine professor Dr. Peter Hotez stated that Arab scientists of the Middle Ages preserved classical scientific knowledge for the Renaissance.
• ▪During the Islamic Golden Age, Arab scholars established foundational achievements in algebra, optics, surgery, and pulmonary circulation.

Campaign attacks on Abdul El-Sayed

• ▪Donald Trump called Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed a jihadist at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, 2026.
• ▪Republican candidate Mike Rogers and Donald Trump have accused Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, allegations El-Sayed has repeatedly denied.

RFK Jr.'s official health visits in Michigan

• ▪Prior to the campaign event on October 26, 2026, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Corewell Health in Grand Rapids to promote hospital nutrition initiatives.
• ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoted funding for the health department