You might assume that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s attempt to run for president is meant to hurt incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden. But as Donald Trump Jr. points out, he could actually be a “Democrat plant” to hurt the Trump campaign, especially since he’s turned independent.
Now, I know. That sounds a whole like a conspiracy theory and at a time when there are already too many surrounding Trump.
However, even I have to admit there are some ways in which that could be true.
As Trump Jr said to a room of supporters in Iowa on Thursday, “It legitimately always felt like it was a Democrat plant to hurt the Trump thing. He wouldn’t be there if the Democrats didn’t want him.”
Admittingly, Trump Jr. is right here. The Democrats have shown that if they don’t want someone around, well, they aren’t, for the most part. And Kennedy is still very much here.
The second thing is that Kennedy, with his recent switch to independent isn’t really just taking Democratic votes.
As you have likely figured out, the legacy politician is a bit of an anti-establishment man. And this means that he tends to buck tradition a bit.
For instance, he’s always been very anti-vaccine, while most in his former party have been just the opposite. He’s also against lockdowns, masking mandates, and really anything else that pertains to COVID-19 and how the pandemic was treated.
Naturally, this makes him a bit more popular with Republicans who aren’t sold on Trump.
And, of course, he’s also been rather candid on a number of issues that those who have issues trusting the government have always questioned. You know, like the death of his uncle, John F. Kennedy. According to him, the CIA played a role in his 1963 assassination.
He also told Tucker Carlson in August, “We have bio-labs in Ukraine because we’re developing bio-weapons.”
Ep. 16 RFK Jr. explains Ukraine, bio-labs, and who killed his uncle pic.twitter.com/RMr5VZVqSM
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 14, 2023
For a number of Republicans, a candidate who isn’t going with the grain of the establishment and isn’t Trump is a very good thing.
The question is, will those be enough to pull more voters from Trump than from Biden?
Trump Jr. says the answer should be no. To him, just being anti-vax shouldn’t be enough, especially when you look at the rest of Kennedy’s record.
That record shows that Kennedy is, for the most part, a liberal, at least on a good many issues. He’s pro-abortion, pro-climate change, and anti-Second Amendment. He’s also announced support for race-based reparations before.
Of course, as far as Kennedy’s presidential campaign goes, none of that is really being mentioned. Instead, he’s wisely chosen to focus on issues that matter more to people right now, such as the economy, civil liberties, housing, and ending foreign wars.
He’s not necessarily hiding his liberal tendencies, but he’s certainly not advertising them either. And that certainly makes it seem more likely that he’s a “Democrat plant.”
Then again, the whole Israel/Palestine conflict going on right now has really thrown a wrench in the way things were going. Prior to October 7, liberals had an easier time siding with Biden and the progressive left. However, afterward, many have begun changing their minds on a few things.
To be clear, both Biden and Kennedy are pro-Israel at present. However, where that causes certain voters to land in relation to electoral politics remains to be seen. Biden is increasingly losing support from both sides of the fight.
But will Kennedy gain those votes, or will the GOP?
I suppose the answer will tell us just where Kennedy stands in opposition to Trump.