Trump Loves That RFK Jr. Is Running for President—and Helping Him Win
Donald Trump praised Robert Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday for potentially siphoning votes away from Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election—one day after Kennedy himself bragged about running a “spoiler” campaign.
“RFK Jr. is the most Radical Left Candidate in the race, by far. He’s a big fan of the Green New Scam, and other economy killing disasters,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I guess this would mean he is going to be taking votes from Crooked Joe Biden, which would be a great service to America.”
“It’s great for MAGA, but the Communists will make it very hard for him to get on the Ballot,” Trump continued. “He is Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, not mine. I love that he is running!”
The day before, as Kennedy announced he had picked Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan as his running mate, he himself admitted his independent campaign could throw a wrench in 2024 voting.
“Our campaign is a spoiler,” Kennedy said to cheers from the crowd. “I agree with that.”
“Our campaign is a spoiler. I agree with that.”
— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) March 26, 2024
RFK Jr. is not even hiding that he’s running as a chaos agent and spoiler for Biden. His donors are Trump donors. His campaign is full of people with ties to Trump. His ideas are just as harmful to the American people as Trump’s. pic.twitter.com/Duq3yg0OkH
Independent candidates historically perform poorly in the general election. They are more often viewed as spoilers who strip just enough votes away from one major candidate to tip the election toward the other. But it’s unclear whether Kennedy will pull more votes away from Trump or from Biden.
Kennedy has expressed some beliefs in the past that are more Democratic, but he’s courting a current donor base and staff roster that are extremely Republican. He has been embraced by the far right for things such as his opposition to vaccines and his belief in conspiracy theories. But he also holds significant sway among independent voters, particularly as Biden’s popularity plummets over his response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
So while it remains to be seen which way Kennedy tips the scales, or even if he affects them at all, the fact remains that Kennedy knows he’s only causing problems. He doesn’t seem to have an issue with that—and in the meantime, Trump is celebrating.