NEW YORK — Despite lagging some 30 points behind President Joe Biden in the latest polls, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. convened national media on Wednesday to make an audacious claim: It’s Biden who should drop out of the race to stop former President Donald Trump from reclaiming the White House.
“We only have one chance to beat Donald Trump, and we need a nominee who can get the job done. And that would be me,” Kennedy said during a 30-minute presentation on campaign polling at a rented venue in downtown Brooklyn.
Kennedy then called on Biden to take a “No Spoiler Pledge,” and withdraw from the race if he were to perform worse than Kennedy in a head-to-head matchup with Trump in a 30,000-plus person poll in mid-October.
Kennedy said he would be happy to make a similar appeal to the former president as well, but Trump “is not a spoiler because he can actually win.”
The presentation seemed aimed at responding to attacks from both parties about his ability to swing the general election. Kennedy has undergone a barrage from Trump in particular in recent days, with the former president saying on social media that supporting Kennedy amounted to a “wasted vote.”
Democrats have not been shy about their critiques of Kennedy either, standing up an operation with veteran campaign strategists to combat third-party threats like Kennedy.
Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni said Kenendy’s proposal to get Biden to drop out is “as deeply unserious his campaign is.”
Kennedy and his campaign manager Amaryllis Fox Kennedy presented a poll from John Zogby Strategies, a firm that has worked with both the campaign and a Kennedy-aligned super PAC, as evidence for why he should remain in the race instead of Biden. The survey showed Kennedy beating the former president in a scenario without Biden, or any Democratic Party candidate, in the race.
“Is there any scenario in which President Trump participates in the election and doesn’t win it? Yes, there is exactly one. And that scenario is that President Biden acknowledges that he cannot win,” said Fox Kennedy during the presentation.
Fox Kennedy said calling on Biden to drop out of the race is fair because the DNC has also called on Kennedy to withdraw.
The Trump and Biden campaigns did not respond to a request for comment.
Any hypothetical decision to drop out in October would be far too late to affect the election results — mail and early voting begins in some states as early as September — and would likely split the Democratic vote.
In its presentation, the Kennedy campaign did not show any results for a three-way race. Against Biden and Trump, Kennedy draws about 11 percent support in national polls, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average — far short of what would be needed to win any Electoral College votes.
But for the Kennedy volunteers at the press conference, the polling presentation was well-received and provided welcome new talking points.
“I’m always talking to people on Instagram, and they say ‘he’s a spoiler,’ and they say ‘a vote for Kennedy is a vote for Trump,’” said Alexis Leyco, 28, of Queens. “I’m excited. I’m going to definitely use this.”
About one dozen volunteers canvassed ahead of the event and gathered 500 signatures, said Will Boothby, the Kennedy campaign’s Northeast regional director. The campaign is aiming to gather about double the 45,000 signatures needed to get Kennedy’s name on the ballot in New York and is getting thousands every day, he said.
Boothby added that much of the support on Kennedy’s petitions comes from younger voters, who expressed concern about issues like student loan debt and affordable housing, followed by support from older veterans around the Empire State.
The campaign did not share how many signatures it currently has in New York, which has one of the highest signature thresholds to get on the November ballot.
Kennedy’s ability to gather those signatures and fight off legal challenges to his candidacy from both parties will determine how much of a factor in the November election.
“People who believe that I am spoiling at this point for President Biden,” Kennedy said, “need to look at data.”
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
