Presidential candidate and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr heaped praise on Twitter owner Elon Musk for defending free speech during a Twitter spaces event with the executive on Monday afternoon. Mr Kennedy, who has long promoted the discredited theory that vaccines play a role in causing autism, participated in a Twitter spaces event Monday and praised Mr Muk for his stewardship of the social media giant for supposedly stopping censorship of voices that dissent from orthodoxy. “I just want to tell you how much I admire you for that and how grateful I am on behalf of my country,” he said. “You would come here from another country and be a key instrument for rescuing American Democracy and freedom of speech.” The forum is the second such event that Mr Musk has hosted. Last month, Mr Musk hosted a Twitter spaces forum with Florida Gov Ron DeSantis as he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Mr Kennedy announced his candidacy to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for president in 2024 in April. During the event he said that his fellow Democrats had misunderstood Mr Musk and had unfairly maligned him. “I was so surprised and delighted when you did that on your own and clearly you’ve been portrayed as somebody as this sinister agenda but you’re doing step after step that is not in your self-interest and that is clearly designed to protect freedom of speech,” he said. Throughout much of the forum, Mr Musk did not challenge Mr Kennedy, including on some of his more outlandish claims that former Fox News executive Roger Ailes prevented him from discussing people injured by vaccines on the cable news network. Read More Peta founder makes request in will to send a piece of her neck to the King RFK Jr gushes over Elon Musk as ‘hero’ of democracy in Twitter Spaces ‘love fest’ Elon Musk hosting event with anti-vax 2024 candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr on Twitter