Instagram reinstated Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s account over the weekend after he launched a campaign for president.
The 69-year-old nephew of John F. Kennedy was kicked off the platform in February 2021 after he posted an anti-vaccine screed. In April 2023, he launched a long-shot campaign to be the Democratic nominee for President.
Last week, he complained on Twitter that his campaign team had been unable to register any Instagram accounts.
“Social media is the modern equivalent of the town square,” he wrote. “How can democracy function if only some candidates have access to it?”
Instagram, which is owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, responded by unbanning his account.
“As he is now an active candidate for president of the United States, we have restored access to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s, Instagram account,” a Meta spokesman told the Washington Post on Sunday.
As of Monday afternoon, Kennedy had not yet used his restored power to post. Instead, he held a virtual event on Twitter with Elon Musk.
Kennedy is one of two candidates challenging President Biden for the Democratic nomination. Marianne Williamson, who also ran in 2020, announced her campaign in March.
While Kennedy is an environmental lawyer by trade, he is best known for his anti-vaccine opinions. In 2019, he headlined an anti-vax rally in Albany amid an outbreak of measles in upstate New York. His siblings have often criticized his stance.
Though Kennedy’s anti-vax opinions are nothing new, he wasn’t considered a threat to public health until his following expanded during the COVID pandemic.