Ron DeSantis vowed to 'burn the National Institues of Health to the ground' if elected president, Democratic challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed. 

RFK Jr., the nephew of John F. Kennedy, made the remarks about the pro-lockdown agency in an interview with comedian-turned-conspiracy theorist Russell Brand.

The 69-year-old told the British actor's podcast that he had met with the Florida governor during the pandemic to discuss a possible tilt at the White House.

'We talked about him possibly running for the presidency, and I said 'how would you handle the NIH? And he said: "I will burn it to the ground.'

The self-declared serial womanizer did not give any details as to when the supposed meeting took place.

But he praised DeSantis for the 'good stuff' in response to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Florida's governor largely refused to impose sweeping lockdowns on the Sunshine State, preferring to keep businesses open instead. 

DailyMail.com has contacted the DeSantis campaign for comment. 

Anthony Fauci, now 82, became the face of the pandemic as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.