Trump and Biden have different strategies to deal with RFK Jr.

03/28/2024 / By Ramon Tomey

The campaigns for incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have different strategies in dealing with independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), according to Axios.

The outlet’s Sophia Cai reported on March 25 that the Biden campaign is “so worried about [RFK Jr.’s] potential impact on the election that it has built an entire operation dedicated to attacking [him].” According to her, the independent candidate “threatens the Biden campaign’s premise that the election is a choice between [the incumbent’s] stability and Trump’s chaos and divisiveness.”

To this end, the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have dedicated a team of staffers and consultants to undermine RFK Jr.’s candidacy. According to the DNC, the son of the late U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Sr. is a “stalking horse” for Trump.

It pointed to a common megadonor – businessman Tim Mellon – that links both Trump and the younger Kennedy. According to the Axios piece, Mellon has given millions to two political action committees (PACs) this election cycle. He has given $20 million to the Kennedy super-PAC American Values 2024 (AV2024) and $15 million to Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) Inc. super-PAC. (Related: Major Trump donor also backing RFK Jr.’s presidential run, FEC filings reveal.)

Moreover, the White House also noted that the Kennedy family – considered one of the royal families in the Democratic Party – has been critical of RFK Jr.’s bid. Biden posed for a photo with 50 members of the Kennedy family on St. Patrick’s Day, insinuating that the family supports Biden over one of their own.

The DNC also filed a complaint against RFK Jr.’s campaign with the Federal Election Commission. The committee alleged that the campaign is receiving an illegal contribution from AV2024 as the latter is trying to get him on the ballot in several states. As of writing, RFK Jr.’s name is officially on the ballot in only one state – Utah.

“We know the GOP is already working to prop up third-party candidates like [RFK Jr.] to make them stalking horses for Trump,” said DNC spokesman Matt Corridoni. “We’re going to make sure voters are educated, and we’re going to make sure all candidates are playing by the rules.”

Trump campaign follows a “wait and see” approach

In contrast, the Trump campaign appears to be espousing a “wait and see” approach as RFK Jr. could take away key votes Biden needs. According to Cai’s piece, “top Trump allies say they’re watching RFK Jr. closely. But for now, [they] aren’t planning to burn resources to go after him.”

Trump’s campaign initially dubbed RFK Jr.’s independent bid “a vanity project for a liberal Kennedy.” The Republican National Committee even put out a list of reasons why he should be deemed a “radical Democrat,” noting his call to cut back on fossil fuels. However, the former president’s campaign team appears to have reversed its stance, now seeing RFK Jr. as hurting Biden’s standing more than Trump’s.

“Trump allies acknowledge that [RFK Jr.’s] criticism of vaccines is attractive to some of Trump’s base. But they think that if necessary, they could easily hit [RFK Jr.] on his stance on the environment and other issues,” the Axios piece stated.

Meanwhile, RFK Jr.’s campaign claims it has enough signatures to put his name on the ballot in New Hampshire, Nevada and Hawaii. AV2024 also said it has enough signatures in several key states, including Michigan, Arizona and Georgia.

“[RFK Jr.] plans to take votes from both President Biden and former President Trump,” RFK Jr. campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear said. “Of course the DNC is worried. [RFK Jr.] has the highest favorability among the candidates and outpaces Biden and Trump among independents.”

Watch this Fox News report about the three-man race in the November 2024 presidential election.

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