Prominent hedge fund investor Bill Ackman has entered the fray alongside Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, advocating for a public debate on the safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines. The discussion began when vaccine advocate Dr. Peter Hotez criticized RFK Jr.’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, then declined the opportunity to debate Kennedy when in exchange for a large donation to a charity of his choice.
Fortune reports that the founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, Bill Ackman, has backed the demand for an open discussion about the efficacy and safety of coronavirus vaccines. He joins podcaster Joe Rogan and Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk in expressing their support for the need for such a discussion. It’s interesting to note that Ackman has made it clear that he supports vaccinations, he simply wants to hear more about the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines.
PASADENA, CA – APRIL 17: Comedian Joe Rogan performs during his appearance at The Ice House Comedy Club on April 17, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images)
Ackman expressed his support for Joe Rogan’s offer to donate $100,000 to charity in exchange for Dr. Peter Hotez debating Robert Kennedy Jr., a candidate for president and a vaccine skeptic, on Rogan’s show. Ackman went so far as to donate an additional $150,000 to the cause, saying that he believed that a discussion like this “would enable the public to better understand these issues.”
Many other prominent vaccine skeptics have added to the initial $100,000 charity offer, including Steve Kirsch.
“If you are truly interested in saving lives, you need to further the public’s understanding of the truth about vaccines,” Ackman stated, addressing Dr. Hotez. “This is a debate you cannot walk away from.”
Ackman later withdrew his backing for the debate between Hotez and Kennedy Jr., claiming that Hotez lacked the credibility of the “extremely articulate” Kennedy as a vaccine defender. Kennedy was praised by him as being a “excellent choice for an antagonist in the vaccine discussion.”
Among billionaires, this development has sparked a raging debate. In a tweet in support of Rogan, Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and owner of Twitter, accused Hotez of being “afraid of a public debate, because he knows he’s wrong.” On the other hand, Mark Cuban, the star of Shark Tank and owner of healthcare startup Cost Plus Drugs, lambasted Rogan and Musk for being “disrespectful” to healthcare professionals.
“You are driven by self-interest,” Cuban tweeted. “Don’t lie to yourselves and all of us and tell us you are different.”
Ackman, who has spoken of his admiration for Kennedy, cited his skepticism toward received wisdom and media consensus to explain his position on the vaccine debate.
“The experts, the government, and conventional wisdom are often wrong,” Ackman tweeted, adding that “truth can emerge when two or more articulate and intelligent individuals in an open forum discuss and debate a controversial subject.”
Read more at Fortune here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan