On April 18, the Kennedy family held a press conference in Philadelphia to announce their support of President Joe Biden and a slap in the face to RFK Jr.
The Guardian reported that RFK Jr.'s sister, Kerry Kennedy, led the announcement. "President Biden has been a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncle stood for," Kerry Kennedy said.
The independent candidate's sister continued, "That's why nearly every single grandchild of Joe and Rose Kennedy supports Joe Biden. That's right, the Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president."
Rolling Stone reports that RFK Jr.'s family, friends, and former work colleagues want him to drop out of the presidential race because they fear he will hand Trump the presidency. A group of environmentalists blasted RFK Jr about running for president and urged him to drop the campaign. But what if being a spoiler for Trump is the point of his presidential run?
RFK Jr as a Spoiler Candidate
Many arrows point to the idea that RFK Jr is running as a spoiler candidate to help Trump and hurt Biden.
In February, Newsweek reported that Trump and RFK Jr share the same top donor, Timothy Mellon. The outlet reported, "Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, donated $5 million to the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. fundraising attempts in January, as well $5 million to a Super PAC supporting the Democrat-turned-independent's presidential bid the same month, Federal Election Commission (FEC) listings reveal." Newsweek notes that Mellon is a major GOP donor, so it's strange that he would throw big dollars at a Democrat or Independent candidate. Another sign that RFK Jr is in the race to help Trump comes from Washington insider Liz Smith.
On April 16, political strategist Smith tweeted: "@RobertKennedyJr agreed to a phone call with Donald Trump LAST WEEK to discuss being his running mate. The more we learn, the more it's clear that he's a spoiler for Trump."
In early April, RFK Jr. campaign official Rita Palma told Republican voters that putting her boss on the New York presidential ballot could help elect Donald Trump, per CBS News. Palma said the quiet part out loud. Still, the speech was caught on tape, making national news and putting Palma out of a job.
Kennedy Endorsement is a Win for Joe Biden
Joe Biden is proud of the Kennedy family endorsement, the president tweeted a video of the famous family:
Having the support of the Kennedy family in this election means the world to me.
Together, we will defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/4SjgVpD4uD— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 19, 2024
