Democrats are expressing significant concern over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of former President Donald Trump, issuing a press release on Friday in an attempt to downplay the impact of Kennedy’s support for Trump.
RFK Jr. formally suspended his presidential campaign during a speech in which he sharply criticized the Democratic Party, accusing it of abandoning democracy and aligning itself with censorship, Big Pharma, Big Tech, and other powerful interests.
“The three great causes that drove me down to this race in the first place, primarily, these are the principal causes that persuaded me to leave the Democratic Party and run as an independent. Now, to throw my support to President Trump, the causes were free speech, the war in Ukraine, and the war on our children,” Kennedy said Friday during a rally in Glendale, Arizona.
In their press release, Democrats cited an excerpt from Forbes claiming that independents “tend to prefer Harris over Trump,” arguing that Kennedy’s exit from the race could actually benefit Vice President Kamala Harris by attracting more independent voters to her side.
They also referenced U.S. News and World Report, quoting a former senior adviser to President Biden who dismissed Kennedy as never having been a “serious candidate.”
Democrats continued their efforts to minimize the potential impact of Kennedy’s endorsement by quoting Axios, which suggested that Kennedy’s declining relevance and erratic behavior raise doubts about how many voters he could realistically influence in favor of Trump.
The overall tone of the Democrats’ response indicates a growing anxiety over how Kennedy’s support might affect the race.