Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. conducted a town hall Wednesday night with NewsNation.
Wednesday evening’s town hall was RFK Jr.’s first with a national news network.
RFK Jr. answered questions from a live audience of voters from Illinois, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
He also responded to questions submitted from NewsNation’s online audience.
“Kennedy discussed supporting a Democratic nominee, the war in Ukraine, addiction and the opioid crisis, immigration, vaccines and his voice condition during the town hall,” NewsNation states.
NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas moderated the town hall.
During the event, Vargas spoke about RFK Jr. gaining support from leading voices on the right.
“You say that your a Democrat but you’re getting a lot of support from leading voices on the right like Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, [and] former President Trump,” Vargas said.
“Many Democrats fear that you’re a spoiler in the race. That you will damage President Biden in the primary and grease the skids for former President Trump to return to the Oval Office,” she added.
Vargas mentioned the comments Trump made about RFK Jr. earlier this week.
"This week former President Trump said about you, Kennedy is smart and he's a common sense guy. What kind of man do you think Donald Trump is?" she asked.
“Here’s what I’m not going to do in this race. I’m not going to attack other people personally. I don't think it's good for our country. What I’m trying to do in this race is to bring people together," RFK Jr. responded.
RFK Jr. later said: "I'm proud that President Trump likes me. Even though I don’t agree with him on most of his issues because I don't want to alienate people. I want to bring people together."
WATCH:
RFK Jr: "I'm proud that President Trump likes me ... I want to bring people together." pic.twitter.com/ui8XLXKnZx
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 29, 2023
RFK Jr. refused to blindly support the Democrat presidential nominee.
"Will you pledge to support whoever the Democratic nominee is? Whoever it is? Whether it's you. Whether it's President Biden," Vargas questioned.
"Of course I'm not going to do that," RFK Jr. replied.
"I don't know what I'll do. "Let's see what happens in this campaign," he added.
WATCH:
At the latest town hall, #RFK refused to blindly pledge his backing to the Democrat candidate if he should not win the nomination. pic.twitter.com/IQJxqJsUq6
— Craig Pasta Jardula (@yopasta) June 29, 2023
News Nation reports:
Kennedy is a long-shot candidate as he goes up against incumbent President Joe Biden, but he has drawn some support from Democrats and independent voters.
The presidential hopeful is currently polling at 14%, compared to President Joe Biden’s 64%, according to Real Clear Politics average of polls.
He has been doing everything that he can to differentiate himself from Biden.
ADVERTISEMENTWhile it might seem strange to consider the 69-year-old son of a former U.S. attorney general, nephew of a president and Harvard graduate as a political outsider, Kennedy has positioned himself as a progressive populist answer to the Biden administration.
“Particularly someone who occupies the middle of the field and is recalling our party to traditional values to Kennedy Democrats, FDR Democrats,” he said.
On the campaign trail, Kennedy has hyped his environmentalist bona fides, highlighting his time forming the Waterkeeper Alliance and his efforts to clean up New York’s Hudson River.
He’s promised to make the government more transparent and get money out of politics.
Kennedy’s economic platform includes a broadened social safety net and a crackdown on what he calls “misguided ‘free trade’ schemes.” He’s called for shrinking the military and reducing military spending.
On the topic most Americans say is the biggest problem facing the country, Kennedy blamed government spending and ongoing wars.
“We’re acting like an alcoholic who’s behind on his mortgage and he’s taking the milk money and buying rounds for strangers at the bar,” Kennedy said.
Although Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is polling above 20% in some polls, the DNC won’t allow him to debate Joe Biden.
The DNC will do everything it can to rig the Democrat primary against RFK Jr.
Knowing that, Steve Bannon and Roger Stone have floated the idea of a Donald Trump-RFK Jr. unity ticket.
However, RFK Jr. said “under no circumstances” would he join Donald Trump on an electoral ticket.
Just to quell any speculation, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will I join Donald Trump on an electoral ticket. Our positions on certain fundamental issues, our approaches to governance, and our philosophies of leadership could not be further apart.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 10, 2023
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