Sixty-nine-year-old Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a video Friday that showed him doing twice as many pull-ups as 38-year-old Republican contender Vivek Ramaswamy managed at the Iowa State Fair the previous week.
“Start your day with a quick #Kennedy24″ RFK Jr.’s post read, with the accompanying video’s captions claiming that Kennedy’s viral workout videos have inspired other 2024 presidential hopefuls “to get in shape”. (RELATED: Pierce Brosnan Comes Out In Support Of RFK Jr.’s 2024 Presidential Run)
Start your day with a quick #Kennedy24 💪 pic.twitter.com/GrFMD0VVno
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) September 29, 2023
The video showed Ramaswamy managing to complete a dozen pull-ups, then cut to the much older Kennedy doing 24.
“It is very impressive that a 69 year old can do 23 pull ups! Keep up the good work! Perhaps he and Vivek can work out together sometime,” Ramaswamy campaign spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Caller.
Ramaswamy has made his youth and vigor — in contrast to the 80-year-old President Joe Biden and the 77-year-old former President Donald Trump — a focus of his campaign, posting videos of himself playing tennis shirtless and doing burpees with his wife. He’s even suggested adding a physical fitness component to the SAT.
Kennedy, who has also drawn attention to his physique, also shares some policy positions with Ramaswamy, including a skeptical view of American policy toward Ukraine.
“Where do you think our resources are better spent? Building up Ukraine’s munitions industry? Or rebuilding our own industrial base to produce things people actually need?” Kennedy asked Thursday in a tweet.
Where do you think our resources are better spent? Building up Ukraine’s munitions industry? Or rebuilding our own industrial base to produce things people actually need?https://t.co/pwNKLhvkMc
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) September 28, 2023
During the first GOP primary debate in August, Ramaswamy slammed Republican politicians who chose to “make a pilgrimage to Kyiv to their pope Zelensky without doing the same thing for people in Maui.”