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Join NowWhat They’re Saying: RFK Jr. Dropping Out of Presidential Race
Click HERE to watch the press briefing from MoveOn Political Action and Third Way
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, MoveOn Political Action highlights what the people are saying about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. potentially dropping out of the race to endorse Donald Trump. If you missed our press conference this morning, click here to watch. RFK Jr. is scheduled to “address the nation” at a press conference tomorrow in Phoenix–Trump is also slated to speak at a rally shortly after in Glendale.
See what they’re saying:
Rahna Epting, MoveOn Political Action Executive Director: “The facts here are actually quite simple. From the very beginning, RFK Jr. has had one goal: elect Donald Trump. We know this because for months, Trump’s MAGA donors have been fueling RFK Jr’s campaign to swing the election his way. We know this because one week ago, JD Vance called on RFK Jr. to leave the race. RFK Jr. has spent weeks begging Trump for a job.
“It’s clear: RFK Jr. is no outsider. He’s always been a puppet for the Trump campaign. And as soon as RFK Jr. stopped being useful to him, the puppet masters are telling him it’s time to exit the stage. We know RFK Jr. takes his marching orders very seriously.”
Dave Weigel, political reporter with Semafor: “The third parties that gave Kennedy their ballot lines will be screwed when he quits. Also not interested in following him to Trump.
“We would be toast,” said Doug Dern, chair of Michigan’s Natural Law Party. “If I drops out I probably won’t vote for president.”
Geoff Garin, Democratic pollster: “RFK Jr’s vote has dwindled to 2-3% in our polls and his negatives have skyrocketed. He doesn’t have much support left to throw to Trump, and I can easily imagine his endorsement backfiring by further confirming Trump as the candidate of kooks, anti-vaxxers and conspiracy nuts.”
David Frum, conservative commentator with The Atlantic: “The RFK Jr campaign was a $-multimillion gambit by Trump donors to divert poorly informed votes from the Democratic ticket. The scheme backfired when RFK Jr diverted poorly informed Republicans instead. ABC now reporting the scheme about to be axed. Funny or sad?”
David Corn, DC Bureau Chief at Mother Jones: “If RFK Jr. endorses Trump, it will demonstrate he doesn’t care anything about climate change, clean air and water, women’s freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Just one disingenuous conspiracy-theory-monger joining forces with another. A sad ending to a once noble brand.”
Alex Seitz-Wald, political reporter with NBC: “NEW: Kyle Kemper, an RFK Jr. super-fan who has devoted much of the past year to touring the country in his homemade Kennedy bus, grew furious when told of Nicole Shanahan’s comments and warned Kennedy not to “sell his soul” to Trump.”
Josh Marshall, Editor-in-Chief at Talking Points Memo: “Kennedy is now down in the three- to five-points range. It’s not clear to me that when you’re down to that level of support your supporters really have what journalists would understand as coherent policy agendas or worldviews that would make their actions predictable in this way. So I wouldn’t assume we have any idea how this affects the race.
“Kennedy is so weird and now so universally recognized as weird and this endorsement — if that’s what it is — would appear so corrupt that I’m not sure it really plays as a positive.”
And here’s what RFK Jr. supporters are saying on Twitter:
@tford757: “RUMOR has it that RFK jr is shopping his endorsement. Looking to drop out of the race. They are looking to blame New York. This to me is a slap in the face of all of his supporters. #betrayal”
@mdobos09: “Hey @RobertKennedyJr if you drop out of the race on Friday, just know you let you supporters down. You let me down. I will be extremely disappointed if you drop out of the race. You talked about how the two party system is bad, but now you’re going to support Donald Trump.”
@noseyJRT: “What the hell has happened yo RFK Jr.!!?? He seems to have totally lost his mind!! Im so very disappointed by him and sickened by his Chump endorsement. Bobby would have never gone with this, ever!!”
@OhioansForRFKjr: “Did me and many others put in so much effort to get signatures for Kennedy just for him to drop out?”
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MoveOn is celebrating 25 years of people-powered progress this year. For more than a generation, MoveOn has built independent political power and mobilized the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. MoveOn is a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our collective voices to drive progressive foreign policy, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.