Former President Donald Trump has maintained a substantial lead in the presidential field, with a significant advantage of 40 to 50 points in most recent surveys. However, a new challenger is emerging, and Trump’s campaign is gearing up to confront this rival head-on.
Reports from the news site Semafor suggest that Trump’s team is preparing to target presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. There are growing concerns that Kennedy’s potential third-party bid could siphon more votes away from Trump than from Democratic rival Joe Biden.
In recent weeks, RFK Jr. hinted at exiting the Democratic presidential primary, citing concerns about the party favoring Biden for the nomination. Instead, he expressed intentions to run as a third-party Independent candidate. According to internal polling conducted within the Trump campaign, RFK Jr.’s independent candidacy may impact Trump more than Biden:
Semafor, although not independently verifying the polling data, reported that individuals close to Trump’s campaign have indicated that Kennedy’s candidacy could draw more votes away from Trump than left-wing independent Cornel West took from Biden when both were included in the polls.
While the impact may be in the single digits, it’s significant enough to potentially influence the outcome of the election, as confirmed by a second source.
This data has raised concerns among Trump’s allies, prompting them to prepare an extensive campaign of opposition research targeting RFK Jr.
“We’re gonna be dropping napalm after napalm on his head, reminding the public of his very liberal views, dating back to 2012,” another Trump campaign source told Semafor. “We have a lot of stuff on him.”
“He used to be a fun plaything to hurt Biden, now he is something that could hurt the GOP,” one Trump-aligned operative said.
The news outlet added:
While it’s not clear if it’s related, the Daily Caller published a story today dredging up Kennedy’s comments from two decades ago that “factory meat integrators are more threatening to democracy than Osama bin Laden.” The same story also mentioned his description of the NRA as a “terror group” after the 2018 Parkland shooting.
RFK Jr. has himself suggested he’d be likely to rely on Republican support, saying in a recent podcast interview that he “take[s] more votes from President Trump than” from Biden. A pro-RFK Jr. super PAC produced polling suggesting as much, albeit at the margins and without other third party options included.
Democrats seem largely unconcerned about Kennedy’s campaign, though there is some divide among independent pollsters over how he might affect the race.
“President Trump is leading by wide margins in every single poll — both nationally and statewide — in the primary and general elections,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “The fact is that President Trump will beat Biden because he’s the only person who can supercharge the economy, secure our border, safeguard communities, and put an end to unnecessary wars. Americans want to return to a prosperous nation and there’s only one person who can do that – President Trump.”
