A Michigan-based ammunition company said Dr. Peter Hotez, who has been criticized for appearing to dodge comedian Joe Rogan's offer to debate Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr., should be treated as a criminal.
"Dr. Hotez and other COVID vaccine maximalists should be treated similarly to doctors that experimented on Jews during the holocaust," wrote Fenix Ammunition company in a Tuesday tweet. “They didn't have a choice to say ‘no,’ and in many cases, neither did US citizens."
"Treat them like the criminals they are."
The post also featured an image of 9mm full metal jacket ammunition.
Users claimed the incorporation of ammunition in their post suggested the ammunition company was promoting violent action against Hotez and others in the medical field who promoted COVID-19 vaccination.
"So now as a business you're supporting murder & inciting the haters to do harm?" asked one user.
One user simply tagged the FBI's official Twitter account.
"Posting photos of bullets with this rhetoric is not acceptable," said another user who claimed to be critical of Hotez.
"I think I know what this means," the scientist responded to the post. "It's unacceptable, and has to stop."
"The fact of the matter is tens of thousands of people's lives were utterly destroyed due to vaccine mandates, let alone the tens of thousands who were physically injured by the vaccines we were told were safe, and we were told to take under coercion," Fenix Ammunition said in a response to their original post.
Fenix Ammunition further noted criticism of their post by clarifying doctors who violated informed consent during the Holocaust were put on trial for their crimes: “That's what we advocate for."
Hotez, who has previously appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, initially commented on Rogan’s Thursday episode of the podcast with RFK Jr. in which the comedian and Democratic presidential candidate discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent push for vaccines.
“From all the online attacks I’m receiving after this absurd podcast, it’s clear many actually believe this nonsense,” the scientist said of the episode in a Saturday post. Along with the tweet, Hotez shared a Vice article discussing RFK Jr.’s episode with Rogan titled, “Spotify Has Stopped Even Sort of Trying to Stem Joe Rogan’s Vaccine Misinformation.”
Rogan and Hotez engaged in a back-and-forth Twitter conversation as the comedian offered the scientist $100,000 to the charity of his choice to debate the Democratic presidential candidate on his show.
The scientist appeared to turn down Rogan’s offer in a now-deleted tweet suggesting the comedian, along with streaming platform Spotify which exclusively hosts Rogan’s show, could afford upwards of $50 million.
A number of influencers have pledged money to Rogan’s initial $100k offer for Hotez to debate RFK Jr. on the comedian’s podcast. The current debate pot from influencers is over $2.62 million as of Tuesday afternoon.
