On Monday, presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his decision to de-register his campaign from the Democratic Party, and he chose to begin running as an independent instead.
That night, Kennedy penned an op-ed for Fox News Digital, and he appeared on “Fox & Friends” the next day to discuss his party switch.
However, former President Donald Trump has questioned Kennedy’s less-than-conservative record.
“Voters should not be deceived by anyone who pretends to have conservative values,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday. He labeled Kennedy’s campaign “nothing more than a vanity project for a liberal Kennedy looking to cash in on his family’s name.”
The fiery response exposes the unknowns that lie in Kennedy’s long-anticipated decision to run as an independent. The move is likely to impact the 2024 race, which appears to be heading toward a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden, but it’s still unclear exactly how.
Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous families in Democratic politics, was running a long-shot primary bid and holds better favorability ratings among Republicans than Democrats. Even Trump just two weeks ago said of Kennedy, “I like him a lot. I’ve known him for a long time.”
Four of Kennedy’s siblings released a statement on Monday calling his campaign “perilous for our country.”
On “Fox & Friends,” Kennedy addressed this statement, and he distanced himself from his family’s liberal record.
“Leaving the party of my … family is very, very difficult for me… I love my family. Every family has disputes. I’ve got a lot of family members who are supporting me. There’s a lot of members of my family who are working for the Biden administration, and they have their own opinions.
Allies of both Biden and Trump have at times questioned whether Kennedy would be a spoiler against their candidate.
“The truth is, they’re both right,” Kennedy said onstage Monday to roaring applause. “My intention is to spoil it for both of them.”
Aware of the risk that Kennedy could pull votes away from Republicans, Trump allies have begun circulating opposition research against Kennedy.
The Republican National Committee published a fact sheet before Kennedy’s speech titled “Radical DEMOCRAT RFK Jr.” that lists times he supported liberal politicians or ideas. The document also listed times he supported conspiracy theories about COVID-19 or stolen-election claims related to the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections that Democrats lost to President George W. Bush.
The same day, Trump slammed Republican Will Hurd for suspending his longshot campaign for president and endorsing rival candidate Nikki Haley. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “It’s about time! Will Hurd, the failed former Congressman from the great State of Texas… has just now decided to drop out of the 2024 Presidential Campaign… Luckily for him, he couldn’t make the Debate Stage, but went out with a bang – He endorsed Birdbrain!”
Biden’s allies so far have dismissed Kennedy’s primary campaign as unserious. When the Associated Press asked for a comment, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.