Mr. Kennedy has chosen not to criticize President Trump for his legal troubles but instead focuses on the differences in their platforms.
President Joe Biden’s campaign celebrated the news of former President Donald Trump’s conviction on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by a Manhattan jury, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a contrasting reaction.
In recent weeks, Mr. Kennedy has been under increased scrutiny from President Trump as national polls show that the independent presidential candidate is gaining support from conservatives and independents, potentially impacting the former president’s base.
Following the verdict on May 30, Mr. Kennedy criticized the legal ruling and accused the Democratic Party of trying to defeat President Trump in court rather than at the ballot box.
“This will backfire in November. Even worse, it is profoundly undemocratic,” Mr. Kennedy wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“America deserves a president who can win at the ballot box without compromising our government’s separation of powers or weaponizing the courts. You can’t save democracy by destroying it first,” Mr. Kennedy added.
Michael Tyler, communications director for Biden-Harris 2024, released a statement on May 30 saying, “In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law.”
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“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president,” Mr. Tyler added.
Earlier this year, Mr. Kennedy used X to denounce the lawsuits aimed at preventing President Trump from appearing on the ballot in multiple states under the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
“Why doesn’t every American understand that if they can do this to a former US President, EVERYONE is vulnerable to punishment for crimes with which they have never been convicted,” Mr. Kennedy wrote.
In another X post, Mr. Kennedy wrote: “If Trump is kept out of office through judicial fiat rather than being defeated in a fair election, his supporters will never accept the result. This country will become ungovernable.
“I’m not a fan of Trump, but I want the American people to decide who represents them, and I want to win on a level playing field and in a fair fight, not by a judicial intervention coming in and getting rid of people they don’t like.”
Since the start of his campaign, Mr. Kennedy has steadfastly avoided discussing President Trump’s legal battles, social media behavior, and personality, which are often points of criticism against the former president.
Instead, Mr. Kennedy has consistently criticized President Trump’s actions during his presidency.
He has claimed that President Trump initially aimed to “drain the swamp” in 2017 but was “intimidated by bureaucrats” at federal agencies and failed to achieve that goal.
Mr. Kennedy referred to John Bolton, appointed by President Trump as national security adviser, as “the template for a swamp creature.” He also criticized Scott Gottlieb, appointed by President Trump to lead the FDA, as being “Pfizer’s business partner” who then returned to Pfizer for personal gain.
Mr. Kennedy stated that President Trump had more lobbyists running federal agencies than any other president in U.S. history.
“You can’t reform them when you’ve got the swamp creatures running them, and I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do something different,” Mr. Kennedy said.
During a campaign event earlier this year, Mr. Kennedy mentioned his longstanding acquaintance with President Trump for nearly 40 years.
“I’ve sued him twice, successfully. During litigation, he invited me on his airplane, and we had a great time,” he said.
“He’s a very congenial, charming guy, and he’s always been very kind to me. He’s been a big political donor to my family at various times. I stay away from the vitriol, but Donald Trump as president was the architect of the COVID policies, which were destructive for the economy of our country,” Mr. Kennedy added.
President Trump “knew that lockdowns were wrong” and then “agreed to lockdowns,” Mr. Kennedy said. He also “knew that hydroxychloroquine worked, he said it,” Mr. Kennedy explained, adding that he was eventually “rolled over” by Dr. Anthony Fauci and his advisers.
President Trump’s support of Operation Warp Speed, the program he initiated in May 2020 to accelerate the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, continues to be a point of contention for some of his supporters. Some of these supporters now express their intention to vote for Mr. Kennedy in 2024.
In his X post on May 30, Mr. Kennedy reiterated his criticism of President Trump regarding COVID and other policies.
“I’m also running against President Trump in this election. The difference is I’m challenging him on his record. His lockdowns during COVID. His atrocious environmental record. His cozy relationship with corporate America. His support for the war machine. His bloating of the national debt,” Mr. Kennedy noted.
“These are the issues that shape American lives. I’ll challenge him on these things, but the Democrats won’t. You know why? Because they pursue the very same policies.”
Please rewrite this sentence for me.
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