Reality: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remains fully committed to his independent presidential campaign and has no plans to drop out and/or endorse Kamala Harris. In fact, he openly criticizes her and Trump daily. His outreach to other candidates is focused on national unity, not personal gain or abandoning his candidacy. These smears are a distraction so you do not hear his policies which will likely sway voters his way.
The Washington Post article in question detailed that Kennedy allegedly sought a meeting with Kamala Harris to discuss a potential cabinet role in her administration and dropping out to endorse her. The article also mentioned a similar meeting between Kennedy and Donald Trump, which allegedly ended without any agreement. The implication was that Kennedy is hedging his bets and looking for a way out of the race by aligning himself with a major party candidate.
However, these claims are not only speculative but also contradicted by Kennedy himself. In a series of posts on social media, Kennedy has categorically denied any intention of endorsing Harris or dropping out of the race. He stated, “VP Harris’s Democratic Party would be unrecognizable to my father and uncle, and I cannot reconcile it with my values. I have no plans to endorse Kamala Harris for President. I do have a plan to defeat her.”
To make the campaign’s motives abundantly clear, Nicole Shanahan that is Kennedy’s VP posted this:
Far from abandoning his presidential bid, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been doubling down on his campaign efforts. He continues to make regular media appearances, release policy plans, and continues to fight every frivolous lawsuit brought against him. His campaign is built on a vision of bipartisan governance and national unity, which he believes can only be achieved by winning the presidency and talking to people all along the political spectrum.
The notion that Kennedy is seeking a way out of the race is directly contradicted by his own words and actions. Kennedy has emphasized that his campaign is about providing voters with a genuine alternative to the two-party system. His outreach to both Trump and Harris was not about seeking personal gain but about discussing how to heal the deep divisions in the country—a mission he has made clear is central to his campaign.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s request to meet with Kamala Harris turned into claims that he’s dropping out and endorsing her. This is a blatant distortion of the truth. Kennedy clearly stated he would reach out to both Democrats and Republicans to heal the divide, yet this was spun into a false narrative. He has said on numerous occasions that you can’t heal the divide unless you talk to people on both sides. This is a stark reminder that journalism today often prioritizes sensationalism over facts.
The rumors about Kennedy dropping out and endorsing another candidate are part of a broader effort to distract voters from the substance of his campaign. By focusing on speculative “what-ifs” and backroom deals, these narratives divert attention from Kennedy’s policy positions and his critique of the current political establishment. It is no surprise that this article came out after the campaign called out how the two parties are really working together.
RFK Jr has a policy that speaks to every American including working class Americans, minorities, veterans, women, parents, students, and more. Browse the policies here.
Kennedy himself has pointed out the stark differences between his vision and that of Kamala Harris. He has criticized Harris’s record on civil liberties, free speech, and foreign policy, contrasting it with the principles of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, and his uncle, John F. Kennedy. These differences make it highly unlikely that Kennedy would consider endorsing Harris, as doing so would run counter to the values and goals he has championed throughout his campaign.
In summary, the claim that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race to endorse Kamala Harris is false. Kennedy remains fully committed to his independent campaign and has no plans to support Harris or any other major party candidate. His outreach to other candidates is consistent with his broader goal of fostering national unity, not an indication of any intention to abandon his campaign.
Voters should be wary of these misleading narratives and focus on the real issues at stake in this election. Kennedy’s campaign is about offering a genuine alternative to the entrenched political establishment, and he continues to fight for the change he believes the country needs.
Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. do not qualify for the presidential debate according to CNN’s guidelines. One of the requirements is that the candidate “must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency.” Trump and Biden are currently not on any state’s ballot as their conventions have not happened yet. Kennedy has turned in signatures in enough states, but he cannot control how fast or slow those signatures take to get certified. However, he is officially on nine state’s ballots making him the most eligible out of the three candidates.
Kennedy’s campaign has made significant strides in securing ballot access across multiple states. According to his campaign’s statement:
While Kennedy is waiting for some states to certify the signatures, this process is out of his control. He has ensured that multiple times the required number of signatures have been submitted to mitigate the risk of disqualification.
In contrast, neither Biden nor Trump currently appear on any state’s ballots, as their official nominations will not occur until their respective party conventions later this year.
To qualify for the debate, CNN requires candidates to receive at least 15% support in four separate national polls from a specific list of credible polling organizations. Kennedy has achieved this. When considering margin of error, he far exceeds this.
Two polls that meet CNN’s standards do not have RFK Jr. listed as an option in the poll. These include CBS News and NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College. Several of these organization have not done recent polls. CNN also left out the Harvard-Harris poll which consistently has RFK Jr over 15%. Was this done on purpose?
A margin of error reflects the range within which the true value of a poll’s results likely falls, accounting for the variability inherent in sampling a portion of the population rather than the whole. For instance, if a poll shows Kennedy with 16% support and a margin of error of 3.8%, his actual support could be as high as 19.8% or as low as 12.2%. This means that Kennedy’s reported percentages, when considering the margin of error, may well meet or exceed the 15% threshold required by CNN.
The Kennedy campaign has filed a complaint with the FEC regarding CNN’s debate criteria and potential violations of federal election law. The FEC has clarified that there is no “presumptive nominee” exemption in its regulations, which means CNN must apply its criteria equally to all candidates, including Biden and Trump, who currently do not meet the same ballot access criteria as Kennedy.
Another poll came out of Utah this week showing Kennedy and Biden polling the same at 20%.
68% of respondents say that the future of democracy is an extremely important issue while CNN is actively trying to rig the debate criteria.
According to PBS, 55% of respondents are not satisfied with Trump and Biden being the major party candidates.
One must also consider the significant influence of pharmaceutical advertising on television, a multi-billion dollar industry from which CNN profits. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to sign an executive order to ban pharmaceutical advertising on television, a move that would certainly level networks like CNN. This raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and the network’s objectivity in setting debate criteria.
While neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump currently meet CNN’s ballot access criteria due to pending party conventions, Kennedy has made significant strides, being officially on the ballot in nine states and having submitted sufficient signatures for ballot access in an additional 14 states. He has effectively reached the necessary threshold for 270 electoral votes, a feat not yet achieved by Biden or Trump.
Kennedy also meets CNN’s polling criteria, by reaching at least 15% support in four national polls. Despite the deliberate exclusion of certain polls that would bolster his standing, his performance indicates substantial voter support.
CNN, President Trump, and President Biden are making one thing clear: Any challenge to the two party system will be silenced.
Reality: Within the landscape of third-party and independent candidates, Kennedy’s campaign is not only financially strong but also highly competitive. While Joe Biden and Donald Trump brag about raising millions of dollars in one night, RFK Jr. is focused on addressing why 17% of people couldn’t pay all their bills last month, 27% skipped medical treatment because of the cost, 37% can’t afford a $400 emergency, and 52% cannot afford a $2,000 emergency.
On 06/15/2024, Politico published this article. It says, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign is on financial life support.” This is far from the truth.
Here is how much Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Cornel West have raised according to the FEC.
Joe Biden (Democratic Party):
Donald Trump (Republican Party):
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent):
Cornel West (Third Party):
When compared to third-party candidates like Cornel West, Kennedy’s campaign finances are robust. Kennedy has raised nearly 40 times more than Cornel West, highlighting his financial advantage in the third-party landscape. Although a third party automatically gives you a disadvantage, Kennedy is the fourth highest fundraiser of all presidential candidates for 2024.
“Broke” is also a relative term. To Republicans and Democrats who have billionaires as donors, ten million dollars might not seem like a lot. For everyday Americans who have to put groceries back on the shelf because they can’t afford them or skip meals altogether, ten million is a lot of money.
While Biden and Trump boast about raising millions of dollars in short time frames, many Americans are struggling with basic necessities:
Biden raised $30 million in one night at a Hollywood fundraiser. Trump raised $141 million in just a few days following a legal verdict.
In stark contrast, Americans face rising household debt, unaffordable living costs, and economic insecurity. Kennedy’s Real State of the Union address highlights these issues, emphasizing that:
New Wealth: The wealth of the past generation has disproportionately benefited billionaires, leaving the middle class behind.
Public and Household Debt: U.S. public debt has soared to $34 trillion, and household debt has hit a record high of $17.3 trillion.
True Unemployment: Including discouraged workers, the true unemployment rate is 23%.
Living Costs: Many Americans struggle with housing, groceries, and child care costs.
Economic Despair: The economic situation leaves many fearing a single emergency could push them into homelessness.
The narrative that Kennedy is financially struggling is inaccurate when viewed through the proper context of third-party politics. His campaign is financially solid, especially when compared to other independent candidates like Cornel West. The real issue lies in the stark contrast between the fundraising of major political campaigns and the economic hardships faced by ordinary Americans, which Kennedy is committed to addressing.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is focused on tackling these core issues, ensuring that the economic struggles of everyday citizens are at the forefront of his campaign.
There is a widespread misconception that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s biggest donor is also President Trump’s biggest donor, which some use to suggest that RFK Jr. aligns with far-right ideologies. While it is true that Timothy Mellon, a major donor to American Values 2024, has also supported President Trump, this narrative lacks crucial context.
Timothy Mellon is a prominent businessman and philanthropist. He has been in the railroad business most of his life. He was also a trustee for 21 years at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation whose mission reads, “We believe that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and we believe that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive.”
The Mellon family keeps out of the spotlight and rarely responds to interviews. Most of what we know about Timothy Mellon is through official public records. Although, Mellon’s autobiography, panam. captain, will be published on July 23, 2024. The book’s cover features a quote from RFK Jr., “Tim Mellon is a maverick entrepreneur who embodies the most admirable qualities of what FDR called ‘American Industrial genius.'”
It is essential to distinguish between campaign donations and contributions to Super PACs. Campaigns can only accept a maximum of $6,600 per person, while Super PACs can receive unlimited donations. However, PACs cannot coordinate directly with the campaigns they support.
According to FEC records, Mellon has made five donations to the American Values 2024 PAC, totaling approximately $25 million, with the last donation dated April 23, 2024. This makes Mellon the largest donor to the PAC supporting RFK Jr.
Mellon made three donations while RFK Jr. was still running as a democrat.
American Values 2024 has currently raised just shy of $50 million to date.
Make America Great Again, Trump’s second biggest PAC, has raised about $182 million since 2021. $25 million of this total came from Timothy Mellon.
Source: Opensecrets.org
While Timothy Mellon primarily donates to Republicans, he has also supported Democratic candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Tulsi Gabbard. Note that these donations are much smaller, but they are still contributions to the opposite party.
Timothy Mellon donated $53.1 million in stock to the state of Texas to help build the border wall.
Mellon’s significant donation to Texas for the border wall underscores his commitment to border security, a priority shared by both RFK Jr. and President Trump. It is logical that Mellon would support candidates who advocate for policies he believes in.
The Mellon family is no stranger to the Kennedy family. Bunny Mellon, a member of the Mellon family, was best friends with Jackie Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy. Read more about their friendship.
Critics who highlight Mellon’s donations to RFK Jr. as evidence of far-right alignment ignore a broader trend in political donations. Many mega-corporations, including Amazon, Alphabet (Google), and Meta (Facebook), donate to both political parties.
Out of the top 25 donors in the 2024 election cycle reported by opensecrets, 9 of them have given to both republicans and democrats.
Out of the top 51 organizations that have donated in the 2024 election cycle, 32 have given to both republicans and democrats. Four of these organizations give evenly to both parties.
RFK Jr. spoke to Brian Tyler Cohen on May 26th, 2024 where he was asked about Timothy Mellon.
“Brian and I want to run a campaign that appeals to both sides I want to run a campaign that makes Republicans forget they’re Republicans and Democrats forget they’re Democrats and everybody remember that they’re Americans.”
“I think Tim Mellon would prefer me to be president of the United States because he thinks that I would make a better president and that…if I’m not not going to be president that he would prefer president Trump to President Biden. I have a lot of donors who are in the same state…but Biden’s their second choice.”
The claim that RFK Jr.’s biggest donor being President Trump’s biggest donor indicates far-right alignment is misleading. Out of the PAC’s top ten donors, only Timothy Mellon is an established republican. Timothy Mellon is a complex figure who keeps to himself which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to understand his true intentions behind his donations.
His donations appear to have the goal of achieving strict border security, rather than a strict partisan allegiance. This is underscored in his significant donations to Kennedy’s Super PAC even when he was a democrat.
Reality: According to the polls, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does not fit the definition of a spoiler. The polls point to one obvious spoiler in the 2024 presidential election, and that is President Biden.
A spoiler candidate is traditionally defined as one who cannot win the election under any circumstances and only serves to pull votes away from a candidate who otherwise could have won. Many believe that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) is a spoiler candidate whose presence in the race would primarily serve to get President Trump re-elected. However, current polls show a different story.
Contrary to popular belief, polls indicate that RFK Jr. pulls more votes from President Trump supporters than from President Biden supporters. Additionally, the data shows that whether or not RFK Jr. is in the race, President Biden loses to President Trump. By definition, this makes President Biden the spoiler, not RFK Jr.
Let’s examine three major polls to clarify this:
These results clearly show that RFK Jr. is not merely a spoiler. He holds substantial support that could redefine the race entirely.
RealClearPolitics provides a comprehensive hub of all major polls and averages them together. At the time of this article, the averaged polls indicate that President Trump wins in key swing states and across all polls combined. This further supports the argument that President Biden, not RFK Jr., fits the definition of a spoiler, as he appears to be the candidate less likely to secure a victory in the general election.
Many of RFK Jr.’s supporters are first-time voters or individuals who would otherwise not vote if he were not on the ballot. CNN just released a poll that asked disenfranchised voters who they would vote for. RFK Jr. received 37%, Trump 30%, and Biden 12%. CNN also discused how RFK Jr. pulls more votes from Trump than Biden.
This further proves that his candidacy does not detract from President Biden’s potential voter base, but rather brings new voters into the political process who would not participate in an election between only President Biden and President Trump. This also shows that RFK Jr. pulls more votes from President Trump.
The 2024 election is unprecedented in many ways. Both President Biden and President Trump are the oldest presidents in history, adding uncertainty to the race. Just as football fans say, “Any given Sunday,” this November could be “Any given November.” Both candidates could face unforeseen circumstances, such as legal issues or health problems, that might impact their viability.
The largest presidential poll to date indicates that RFK Jr. would win in a head-to-head race against either President Biden or President Trump. This makes him a true major candidate, not a spoiler.
RFK Jr.’s presence in the race challenges the traditional dynamics and offers voters an alternative that polls show is not just viable but potentially victorious. By the true definition of a spoiler, President Biden fits the role more accurately than RFK Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is far from being a mere spoiler candidate. Polls consistently demonstrate his ability to pull significant support, especially from President Trump voters, and his potential to win in direct contests against both President Trump and President Biden. Additionally, his candidacy mobilizes first-time voters and those who would not otherwise vote, further proving his impact on the 2024 election. As the political landscape continues to evolve, RFK Jr.’s candidacy represents a legitimate third option that could change the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.