A call posted by Bobby Kennedy III this morning revealed the close relationship between RFK Jr. and Donald Trump. In a nearly two-minute video clip of the conversation posted online, RFK Jr. listened to Trump say that something would be “big” for them to do together. Trump then said, “We’re going to win,” and RFK Jr. agreed.
“RFK Jr. is not some crusading independent candidate for president. He is an egomaniacal hypocrite with a history of preying on women, spewing nonsensical conspiracy theories, and conning people. Sound like anyone you know? And now, he’s being used by the Trump campaign and his MAGA supporters to help spoil the election in November,” said American Bridge 21st Century Communications Director of Presidential Campaigns Brandon Weathersby. “RFK Jr.’s emulation and gushing praise of Trump are disqualifying for voters who care about the things these men rail against: abortion rights, standing up to Vladimir Putin, and American democracy.”
Kennedy’s ties to Trump go beyond a single phone call, Wyoming billionaire Timothy Mellon, the largest GOP donor in the 2024 campaign cycle to date, has now given the super PAC backing RFK Jr.’s spoiler campaign a total of $25 million.
Earlier this year, Kennedy’s campaign sent a fundraising email that echoed Trump’s false claims that “J6 activists” were “sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties.”
RFK Jr’s campaign also hired Zach Henry, who downplayed the January 6th insurrection as “Democrat misdirection” and was among the mob outside the capitol on January 6th beyond the established police lines. RFK Jr. himself claimed the riot at the U.S. Capitol, which led to the deaths of at least seven people, was not an insurrection and said he’d consider pardoning individuals who took part in overrunning police, delaying electoral certification, and ransacking the building.
Contradicting their claims of being in the race to win it, a campaign source told Mediaite that Kennedy and Trump had a “lengthy conversation” and discussed “Bobby playing a future role in the [Trump] administration and what that role might be.”
RFK Jr. has not said what Trump said would be “big” for him, only tweeting that he was “mortified” that the video was posted and apologized to “the president,” apparently referring to the former president.
One thing is clear: RFK Jr. is teaming with others whose goal is to beat President Biden and re-elect Trump.
Earlier this year, the campaign came under scrutiny after a viral video showed New York-based staffer Rita Palma saying, “Whether you support Bobby or Trump, we all oppose Biden. And my thoughts are that, you know, that’s the No. 1 priority in the country.” The campaign only fired Palma after days of intense media coverage.
On Monday, Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle also announced a “fundraising coalition” between Kennedy and the Libertarian Party that would allow both to “make more money” while pushing the party’s goals to “chase Biden out of office” and “maintain our good relationship with the Trump campaign.”
It’s also not the first time RFK Jr. has tried to team up with Trump. In 2017, Kennedy met with Trump at Trump Tower as the then-president-elect was putting together his administration. Kennedy told reporters afterward that Trump had promised to name him the chair of a “commission on vaccine safety and scientific integrity,” as Kennedy had spent years falsely claiming a link between vaccines and autism. However, Trump – characteristically – did not keep his word.
Published: Jul 16, 2024