RFK Jr. To Make Independent Run For President, Bailing On Dem Party

After apparently becoming frustrated and disillusioned with the Democratic Party following its decision not to hold any primary debates, likely to protect a rapidly aging President Joe Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce an independent bid for the presidency next month, according to Mediaite, which first reported the development.

According to a text reviewed by the outlet, the Kennedy campaign is planning to launch “attack ads” against the Democratic National Committee soon to “pave the way” for his announcement, which he plans to make in Philadelphia.

“Bobby feels that the DNC is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy, so an independent run is the only way to go,” a Kennedy campaign insider told the outlet.

Kennedy has apparently been considering the idea of a third-party bid for weeks after the DNC announced they would not schedule any primary debates after RFK Jr. and Maryanne Williamson filed to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The New York Times reported last week that he met with the chair of the Libertarian Party, “raising the prospect of a departure from the party that decades ago became synonymous with his family name,” Mediaite noted.

While Kennedy has been polling far behind Biden, he has managed to secure close to 20 percent support in several polls as other surveys have shown a vast majority of Democratic voters increasingly concerned about Biden’s mental fitness. The fear among Democrats is that Kennedy will pull votes from Biden, though some conservatives have spoken favorably of his campaign.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said in July he thought that RFK Jr. could be Trump’s running mate.

Bannon said he recently did a Q&A session and that someone asked him for his thoughts on Kennedy, Jr.

“Somebody asked about Robert F. Kennedy and the great speech at Hillsdale, his opening speech, and what did I think about his prospects,” Bannon began.

“And I said, ‘Look, I’m a Kari Lake person, but if Kari Lake becomes governor, as she should if this court case, or if not, she runs for the Senate. If she’s not available to be Trump’s VP that Bobby Kennedy would be, I think, an excellent choice for President Trump to consider. There was a standing ovation and this was a very hardcore MAGA war room posse crowd,” Bannon explained.

“I think that that is a signal to the political elites in this country that something very different is going on. And I thought it was quite extraordinary. Robert Kennedy Jr. has huge support for the American populist movement. Look for the GOP elites to start their attacks on Bobby any day now,” Bannon continued.

Lake, reports said this week, is planning to announce a run for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat next year.

Trump insiders said the 45th president is likely to pick a vice presidential candidate that is “loyal,” has “charisma,” and is “ideologically aligned” with him.

“No candidates have publicly announced their intent to be Trump’s VP, but the former president has indicated that ‘a lot of people’ are ‘auditioning’ behind the scenes. Trump insiders told the Caller that although there haven’t been any formal discussions to narrow down the pool, there are a set of characteristics that will likely be considered,” the Daily Caller reported.

“We do know one thing about Trump, is that he puts a lot of weight on how well you present yourself. That really matters to him, so I suspect that will matter for his VP choice,” a GOP consultant close to Trump told the Caller, adding that the person needs to be “TV ready.”