Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, has criticized the Democratic Party for “anointing a candidate hand-picked by elites” and urged them to return to an “open process” in selecting their nominee for the upcoming November elections, while also claiming only he can beat former President Donald Trump. Following President Biden’s announcement that he would not be seeking re-election, RFK Jr., commended him “for stepping down,” noting that his “infirmities were evident to any unbiased observer from the beginning.
RFK Jr., who initially entered the presidential race as a Democrat but dropped out after being blocked by the party from challenging Biden in the primaries, claimed that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is “rigging” the nomination process by getting an “unpopular vice president to step into President Biden’s shoes.” He argued that this allows for the transfer of funds from the incumbent president to his running mate during the election cycle, which he sees as a way for the DNC to hold onto money.
Kennedy called on the Democratic Party to return to its traditional commitment to democracy and exemplify it with an open process. He suggested that the party should use neutral polling to identify the candidate who can best beat Donald Trump, and then allow delegates to select a nominee based on this information.
During a press conference at his family home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, RFK Jr. criticized the DNC for trying to hide President Biden’s health issues, claiming that it was done to prevent any other candidate from competing with the incumbent “in a way that would expose his deficiencies.” He also took jabs at both Republican nominee Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by President Biden for the Democratic Party nomination, saying that they conceal “the real purpose of their objective” and represent “corporate interests rather than the interests of the American public.
RFK Jr. stated that he would be willing to accept the Democratic nomination if it were offered to him, arguing that he is “the only presidential candidate who can beat Donald Trump.” According to various polls, Kennedy currently stands to win around 10% of the national vote. His campaign claims to be pro-choice and pro-environment and decries “corporate capture,” the affordability crisis, and “forever wars.