Regardless of his anti-vaxxer reputation, for the American women who came to Washington to support him, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the ideal man to "make America healthy again."
This former Democrat, who recently joined Donald Trump, is being scrutinized this week by the American Senate, which is responsible for approving or not his nomination to head the Ministry of Health.
Vilified by many Democratic elected officials for his anti-vaccine remarks and his support for conspiracy theories, "RFK Jr." is nevertheless praised by personalities from both sides of the political spectrum for his fight against junk food and the domination of pharmaceutical groups.
He is even praised by a cohort of mothers, convinced by his speech. "He played a big role in my vote for Trump," Chana Walker, a 37-year-old hairdresser from neighboring Virginia, told AFP.
Wearing purple T-shirts and "Moms for RFK" signs, several of them traveled to the federal capital to support their hero.
– Resonance –
The comments of this heir to the Kennedy dynasty on food additives, water pollution and the increase in cases of autism found a particular echo among these women from diverse political backgrounds.
By tackling long-neglected public health issues and tapping into growing public distrust of health authorities, RFK Jr. was able to reach a diverse audience, from conservatives to some liberals.
"In Europe, you can probably name and recognize most of the ingredients (...) but here, if you look at the same product, you can't even pronounce half of them," fumes Emily Stack, 30, of the conservative association "Moms for America", present to support Trump's choice for Health.
Priscilla Lyons says she identifies with the septuagenarian's fight against obesity and his opposition to treatments such as Ozempic, used to help people lose weight.
Like him, this thirty-year-old wants a health response based on physical activity and healthy eating, and not on what she considers to be superficial solutions enriching the pharmaceutical industry.
When it comes to mental health, the women waiting in the halls of Congress are ranting in unison: "They're always telling you, 'Take pills,'" says Rachel Truhlar, 52.
– Conspiracy theories –
A former respected environmental lawyer, RFK Jr. became known for his fight against climate skepticism, including litigating against the agrochemical group Monsanto in the case over Roundup, a herbicide accused of being carcinogenic.
In the mid-2000s, he began to take an interest in public health issues, particularly the problem of obesity, and denounced the harmful practices of the agri-food industry.
At the same time, he embraced several conspiracy theories and became head of the anti-vaccine organization Children's Health Defense. In particular, he relayed alleged links between vaccination and autism and suggested that AIDS could be caused by something other than the HIV virus.
Positions that he largely downplayed in front of senators, but that several of his supporters met by AFP embrace. Chana Walker explains, for example, that she had her son vaccinated when he was very young, then asked for a religious exemption to avoid other vaccines.
As for Shari Nielsen, a 49-year-old entrepreneur, she blames the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for her husband's heart problems.
Syra Madad, an epidemiologist and fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center, said Kennedy has successfully exploited the vacuum left by successive governments that failed to address persistent health problems.
"I pay close attention to what my kids eat," she said, saying she was touched by some of RFK Jr.'s comments. However, while he "puts forward statistics that are true, like the obesity crisis," her slogans lack substance.
"And that's the big problem: When you look at RFK Jr.'s background, his line of thinking and the people he surrounds himself with - it's disturbing because he doesn't support the scientific evidence," she insists.