Trump rails towards RFK Jr., calling him a ‘wasted protest vote’
Former President Donald Trump launched a social media tirade towards Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday evening, saying a vote for the unbiased candidate can be a “wasted protest vote” and that he’d “even take Biden over Junior.”
The wild card unbiased, a thorn within the aspect of the Democratic Celebration for siphoning voters from President Joe Biden, has turn out to be a supply of increasing anxiety for the GOP as he threatens to additionally pull votes away from Trump in November.
In a string of posts to his Fact Social platform, Trump referred to as RFK Jr. a “Democrat ‘Plant’” strategically positioned to assist Biden’s reelection marketing campaign, and sought to play up coverage areas the place Kennedy seems extra left-leaning.
“RFK Jr. is a Democrat ‘Plant,’ a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place so as to assist Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President within the Historical past of the US, get Re-Elected. A Vote for Junior’ would basically be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that would swing both approach, however would solely swing towards the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him. Junior’ is completely Anti-Gun, an Excessive Environmentalist who makes the Inexperienced New Scammers look Conservative, a Massive Time Taxer and Open Border Advocate, and Anti-Navy/Vet…”
Whereas his coverage platforms range throughout the board, Kennedy, previously an environmental lawyer, stands firmly to Biden’s left on some environmental insurance policies, comparable to calling for a everlasting ban on pure gasoline exports — although he has also criticized the president’s clean energy subsidies. Kennedy’s seemingly inexperienced insurance policies, in addition to his traditionally Democratic-aligned final identify, have made him a perceived menace to Biden’s skill to consolidate the celebration’s vote within the 2024 election.
However as more recent polls show, Kennedy is drawing voters extra evenly away from each candidates, placing the GOP — and Trump — more and more on the offensive.
A Quinnipiac poll of registered voters launched Wednesday exhibits assist for Kennedy at 16 p.c, with Trump and Biden deadlocked at 37 p.c every and Inexperienced Celebration candidate Jill Stein and unbiased Cornel West each receiving 3 p.c assist. Based on the ballot, extra Republican voters discover RFK Jr. favorable than Democrats — 44 p.c of Republican voters expressed a positive opinion of Kennedy, in comparison with simply 11 p.c of Democrats.
As November approaches, each candidates have sought to distance themselves from the renegade unbiased, with the Trump marketing campaign decisively shutting down claims from RFK Jr. that the previous president has approached him to hitch his presidential ticket.
