Robert F Kennedy Jr., the longshot presidential candidate and newest scion of the storied Kennedy political dynasty, seems to be leaning in to the “Democrat in title solely” label that is starting to comply with his marketing campaign.
The 2024 hopeful appeared on cable information community NewsNation on Wednesday, the place he supplied a revealing take a look at his technique up till this level and appeared to supply an olive department to former President Donald Trump.
“I am proud that President Trump likes me, although I do not agree with him on most of those points,” mentioned Mr Kennedy. “As a result of I do not need to alienate folks, I need to deliver folks collectively. I am proud that every one these folks like me and that I have impartial supporters and Democratic supporters.”
Mr Trump beforehand had known as him “a really good man” who had been “very good to [him]” in feedback to reporters on Monday.
“Each Democrat says, ‘I need to finish the polarization. However how do you try this with out speaking to individuals who do not agree with you? How do you try this with out interesting to folks? My goal is to discover the problems, the values that we have in widespread apart from give attention to the problems and the personalities that maintain us all aside,” Mr Kennedy went on to declare.
On the identical time, he declined to agree to help the eventual winner of the 2024 Democratic main, suggesting that celebration loyalty is low on his checklist of priorities.
Mr Kennedy spoke with moderator Elizabeth Vargas and members of an viewers chosen with assist from a nonpartisan organisation; Democratic voters peppered him with questions on quite a few subjects together with his well-reported help for conspiracy theories and misinformation about vaccines. Mr Kennedy has lengthy insisted that he is not “anti-vaccine”, however at Wednesday’s occasion insisted repeatedly that the FDA and different medical authorities have been mendacity in regards to the security of many vaccinations.
For that motive, in addition to the truth that the incumbent Democratic president is working for re-election and closely favoured to win, mainstream media networks and reporting outfits have struggled internally with how greatest (if in any respect) to cowl Mr Kennedy’s marketing campaign. The Democratic Nationwide Committee (DNC) has scheduled no main debates for the 2024 season, and is unlikely to achieve this, a lot to the chagrin of Mr Kennedy and fellow 2024 Democratic hopeful Marianne Williamson.
Mr Biden, 80. is the oldest president to ever maintain workplace and might be 86 when he lastly leaves workplace ought to he win and serve for a full second time period. Many polls have proven {that a} sizeable chunk of the Democratic Occasion — not to point out independents — would favor that the Democratic Occasion nominate a youthful successor, simply as most People would favor that the 2024 GOP nominee be somebody apart from Donald Trump.
He stays the heavy favorite to win a Democratic main, nonetheless, and polls displaying Mr Kennedy and Ms Williamson with signficant help don’t think about the truth that different, extra well-known Democrats with stronger nationwide political operations would rapidly soar into the presidential area ought to Mr Biden bow out.
Amongst these different Democrats thought to be eyeing nationwide ambitions in 2024 and past embody Mr Biden’s vice chairman, Kamala Harris, in addition to others like governors Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom.
