One of the leading medical coronavirus vaccine promoters in America has caused a public kerfuffle by refusing to debate Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the subject after being publicly challenged by popular podcaster Joe Rogan. The refusal is noteworthy given that Dr. Peter Hotez was a celebrated big-box media darling throughout the COVID pandemic who used the bully pulpit provided to him to closely link any form of mRNA jab skepticism with diabolical far-right extremism.
Hotez has long been a scathing critic of Kennedy’s advocacy efforts questioning the safety of vaccines. He dragged Rogan into things by tweeting out a link to a June 16 Vice article that excoriated the podcaster for having RFK Jr. on his show and allowing him to air his beliefs. Hotez slammed the “absurd” program as “Joe Rogan’s vaccine misinformation.” Rogan then offered to pony up $100,000 for charity if Hotez would debate Kennedy. Others upped that figure significantly, and even Twitter CEO Elon Musk jumped in to chide Hotez for not agreeing to debate.
Predictably, establishment media forces are now tossing about accusations of intimidation and harassment against a noble physician, all because Hotez was called upon to defend his views via intellectual exchange. To understand why this is so infuriating to the millions of Americans who were relentlessly smeared, badgered, and threatened for questioning mRNA vaccines, one must look closer at Hotez and his actions during the pandemic.
Not Up for Debate
Hotez believes no dissent should be allowed on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. When asked about debating Kennedy by Rogan in a 2019 appearance on his podcast, Hotez compared it to arguing with a Holocaust denier. This is the rhetoric that allowed the coercive social curbs of the pandemic to flourish.
Hotez openly described vaccine skeptics as enemies of the people during those years. In July 2021, he authored a scientific paper in PLOS Biology bearing the lurid headline, “Mounting antiscience aggression in the United States.” Hotez wrote:
“A band of ultraconservative members of the US Congress and other public officials with far-right leanings are waging organized and seemingly well-coordinated attacks against prominent US biological scientists. In parallel, conservative news outlets repeatedly and purposefully promote disinformation designed to portray key American scientists as enemies. As a consequence, many of us receive threats via email and on social media, while some are stalked at home, to create an unprecedented culture of antiscience intimidation.”
It’s telling that Hotez immediately fell back on this spooky stalking narrative when he received criticism for refusing to debate Kennedy, and that it was instantly backed up by dominant establishment media “reporting.”
Vaccine Pals Bill Gates and China
Hotez had been pumped up as a vaccine superstar well before COVID reached America. “[S]ome people in the field, taking note of his neckwear, call him ‘Bono with a bow tie,’” an admiring 2016 NPR article cooed. “Hotez leads some of the world's biggest efforts to fight worm diseases. As president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, he and his team are developing the first vaccines for hookworm, an intestinal parasite that affects 700 million people worldwide, as well as schistosomiasis.”
That modern artifice frequently utilized by money-compromised media outlets today, the disclaimer, rears its ludicrous face in this puff piece.
Bill Gates (Photo by Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times)
“[Hotez’] projects receive funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which as many of our readers know, is a funder of NPR and this blog,” writer Malaka Gharib acknowledged. This is the scientific integrity that is above debate.
Gates’ funding was apparently a sensitive subject for Hotez as he heavily pushed coronavirus vaccines in frequent national TV appearances, mainly for CNN and MSNBC.
“Not sure how many times we can revisit this, but this is the last of it from my side: 1. I receive no funding from industry or vaccine manufacturers, either personal or institutional. 2. Bill Gates does not give me his money (although that would be nice),” Hotez asserted in a February 2021 tweet. “With Gates, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation previously funded our human hookworm vaccine, but no longer.”
He did not mention the extent of Gates' largesse, or how grateful he remains to the man.
The Hartford Courant reported in May 2007 that Hotez received $52 million from the Gates Foundation to develop and conduct clinical trials in Brazil for his hookworm vaccine. In May 2020, Kennedy’s Children Health’s Defense organization tweeted:
“Italian parliament member Sara Cunial issued a message to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte: ‘Next time you receive a phone call from the ‘philanthropist’ Bill Gates, forward it directly to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.’”
Hotez responded:
“Really? If I receive a call from Bill or Melinda Gates, I’ll thank them (again) for their service to humankind, and for launching the Gates Foundation, which transformed my life and the lives of so many global health scientists.” Hotez also has extremely cozy relations with Chinese health officials.
He is the first “US health expert” quoted in a February 2020 propaganda piece by the state-affiliated news organ China Global Daily and shamefully published in The Wall Street Journal as a paid advertisement. The heavy-handed title: “China’s virus containment wins praise.”
“China has done extraordinary things to mostly contain the virus within Hubei and central China,” Hotez declared. “They recognize their responsibility to the world as well as to the people of China and have worked hard to contain this virus.” He didn’t stop there. Keep in mind that this appeared in a Chinese propaganda article.
“As a physician-scientist, I’m inspired by the heroism of so many Chinese physicians, nurses and healthcare workers who have risked their lives in Wuhan and nearby cities. This is an inspiration for us all,” Hotez continued. “In the memory of the Chinese doctors and healthcare workers who gave their lives to help others in this epidemic, we are dedicating our vaccine institute [Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine] to developing coronavirus vaccines.” Texas Children’s Hospital in February 2020 posted a tweet touting Hotez’ appearance on CGTN, the official international television news network of the communist regime. “Learn more,” the hospital stated, directing readers to CGTN’s Twitter page.
So there you have it. Dr. Peter Hotez will appear on state-run Chinese TV but won’t debate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And if you question him on either of these matters, you are a far-right enemy of democracy who is probably stalking him right now.
