As we step into the 2024 general election following a period rich with intense political drama, we find ourselves confronted with some truly remarkable events. The epicenter of this peculiarity is Robert F. Kennedy Jr, our independent candidate, and a peculiar incident where he confessed to disposing a perished bear cub in Central Park, painting it as a bike mishap from a decade ago. This article revisits eight such bewildering incidents from the election this year, with an intriguing caveat that more such moments undoubtedly lie ahead.
The GOP primary debates that took place in August, September, and November of last year proved to be a platform for various Republican hopefuls to aspire to be Trump’s running mate. However, the debates were ignored by Trump, which was perhaps his astute decision; considering the spectacle his potential VPs made of themselves. One of the surreal instances includes former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s unsuccessful attempt at humor as he called out Trump for avoiding these potentially combative debates.
In an effort to draw Trump’s attention, and indirectly displaying his desperation for the VP spot, Christie daringly said, ‘You’re dodging these debates. What you’ll see happening is that no one up here will address you as Donald Trump anymore. They’ll start naming you…Donald Duck.’ Christie seemed peculiarly proud of his comment, confident in his attempt at humor, eventually highlighting the desperation among Republican aspirants.
A perplexing confrontation labelled as ‘The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate,’ further fuelled confusion in November 2023. This event featured Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and California’s Gavin Newsom, despite Newsom not running for presidency. DeSantis’ shaky campaign was further destabilized by this event, examined under the hawkish eyes of Sean Hannity on Fox News. An ostensibly official debate eventually descended into a vortex of accusation and juvenile taunts.
RFK began an uphill battle against Joe Biden as a Democrat, ultimately transitioning to run as an Independent. As it stands, his has been the most substantial third-party campaign for the 2024 election. However, he drew an unusual amount of media attention for his personal life, which included a shocking revelation of a decade-old case of brain parasite. RFK explained how the parasite’s existence caused him memory loss and brain fog, adding an unexpected twist to the campaign.
Moreover, he voluntarily disclosed details regarding his overconsumption of tuna, leading to a diagnosis of mercury poisoning. According to reports from The New York Times, mercury poisoning could inflict permanent or temporary brain damage, deepening the concerns about RFK’s fitness to run as a presidential candidate.
Trump, known for his unconventional rally speeches, outdid himself by an odd mention of the movie ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ In an attempt to connect the issue of immigration to crime rates, he brought up the film’s cannibalistic antagonist, Hannibal Lecter, and made a bizarre comparison. His supporters and viewers looked on as he referred to Lecter as ‘the late, great Hannibal Lecter,’ who’d like to have dinner with his audience.
A memorable moment at the June 27 presidential debate between Biden and Trump saw both men involved in a quarrel over golf. This disagreement became a pivotal moment in 2024’s election history, as Biden’s confusing and somewhat alarming performance raised enough doubts among voters and fellow Democrats that it led to his dropout from the race.
Trump’s resilience was truly demonstrated when he survived an assassination attempt just days before the first night of the RNC in July. Showcasing strength and dedication, he attended the event with a gauze plastered over the part of his ear grazed by a bullet. This sparked a wave of solidarity amongst RNC attendees, who wore ear bandages as a sign of unity and support.
JD Vance entered the political scene with a less than stellar start due to a distasteful Diet Mountain Dew/racism joke at his initial rally as Trump’s VP choice. The internet was quick to criticize and mock him, highlighting his derogatory comments about ‘childless cat ladies.’ But not everything that fueled the meme monster was Vance’s doing; an anonymous X user started a rumor about his intimate relations with a couch, based on a misinterpretation of his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.
Wrapping up our recap of the most off-the-wall moments of the 2024 election, we return to RFK. In August, he chose to reveal a ten-year-old caper that left New Yorkers scratching their heads: the unexplained appearance of a deceased bear cub in Central Park in 2014. In a video, he confessed that he had stashed the unfortunate creature in the park having found it mortally wounded upstate. To make the incident even odder, RFK claimed he staged the event to look like a freakish bicycling accident.