The report suggesting that former President Donald Trump was contemplating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a potential running mate was dismissed by his campaign as “fake news.” According to anonymous sources cited by Fox News, Trump’s team had supposedly reached out to RFK Jr., who initially launched his 2024 presidential campaign as a Democrat but later became an independent.
Kennedy blamed his former party for excluding him in order to support President Joe Biden. Fox News relied on the New York Post as its primary source for the claim that Kennedy, aged 70, had been considered as a potential running mate for Trump.
“Trump operatives expressed an interest in Kennedy early on, but it was all premature,” one person familiar with the matter told the outlet, adding it was “right out of the box when Bobby announced” in April 2023 that he was making a run for the White House.
Chris LaCivita, a GOP political strategist, promptly dismissed the claim made by Fox and The Post.
“This is 100% FAKE NEWS – NO ONE from the Trump Campaign ever approached RFK jr (or ever will) – one of the most LIBERAL and radical environmentalists in the country. For all the fake news – update your stories,” he wrote on the X platform.
This is 100% FAKE NEWS – NO ONE from the Trump Campaign ever approached RFK jr (or ever will) – one of the most LIBERAL and radical environmentalists in the country. For all the fake news- update your stories. https://t.co/HYBJLqSux0
— Chris LaCivita (@LaCivitaC) January 28, 2024
Political experts endeavoring to assess the result of the 2024 election are progressively of the opinion that RFK Jr.’s popularity, along with that of Cornel West, the Green Party candidate and professor, will ultimately garner more support from President Joe Biden than from Trump.
“While long shots emerge atop the field, Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have proved resilient as oft-competing factions of the party have coalesced around the goal of keeping Biden in the Oval Office,” Breitbart News noted in December.
Furthermore, there is growing speculation surrounding the possibility of Senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), who has declared that he will not seek reelection next year, potentially launching a campaign as a candidate for the No Labels Party.
The initial reactions to the entry of both candidates into the 2024 presidential race were varied in terms of which major party candidate, Democrat Biden or the leading GOP contender, Donald Trump, would be affected the most. However, according to Breitbart’s report, there is a growing belief among influential members of the Democratic Party that Biden will suffer more consequences than Trump.
NBC News reported:
“With the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way acting as the hub, other groups in the coalition have focused on their expertise: MoveOn.org is attempting to keep progressive voters in the fold, while “never Trump” organizations like the Lincoln Project are attempting to do the same for moderates. Richard Gephardt, a former House Democratic leader, also founded a new bipartisan organization that has been enlisting Washington graybeards to write op-eds and speak with donors. Reproductive Freedom for All produced an ad claiming No Labels wants a national abortion ban; End Citizens United has been playing up potential campaign finance issues; and the opposition research super PAC American Bridge has retained Democratic lawyer Marc Elias to look for opportunities to bring legal challenges to third-party candidates.”
While it is true that no third-party candidate has ever won a modern election, their presence has undeniably had an impact on certain outcomes, as pointed out by Breitbart. One notable example is Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign, which is often cited as drawing support away from George H.W. Bush and contributing to Bill Clinton’s victory. In more recent elections, some of Hillary Clinton’s supporters attribute the erosion of her support to Jill Stein, whom they believe played a role in Donald Trump’s success in crucial states.
As Biden’s popularity continues to decline amidst mounting challenges both domestically and internationally, figures like West and Kennedy are seeking to take advantage of the same opportunity that the anxious Democratic establishment is striving to address.
There have been allegations that Biden’s allies are aggressively targeting a former Biden aide who has spoken out against the struggling campaign, indicating a clear threat to others who may be considering breaking the “Biden code of silence.”
