By Caroline Pychynski
In a country built on a two-party system that has constantly failed the United States, people desperately look for the next “best” option. So when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced his candidacy for president as an Independent, a glimpse of hope sparked in the eyes of voters.
On Oct. 9, Kennedy announced his presidential campaign to challenge President Joe Biden. Instead of running for the Democratic nomination, Kennedy decided to enter the race as a third-party candidate. However, he later withdrew from the presidential campaign on August 24 and endorsed the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.
In regard to Kennedy supporters, it’s important to note that there wasn’t any issue that united them. Generally, Independents are largely divided in their views on government regulation of business and the size of government. When Kennedy decided to run for office, he became the voice for voters dissatisfied with the political system, or so it was believed.
On July 16, a leaked call between Trump and Kennedy showed that he is against the people. In the video, Trump discussed with Kennedy false theories on the safety of vaccines. These dangerous conspiracies threaten the lives of Americans. Both Trump and Kennedy are powerful figures. Having so much power can influence people greatly, such as making them not want to receive vaccines. Kennedy bats an eye on the public health and safety of citizens, which really shows where his priorities are. Additionally, in the conversation, the former president sounded like he was getting an endorsement from Kennedy and receiving a role in Trump’s campaign. Kennedy never had a campaign; it was just an addition to Trump’s.
“I would love you to do something,” Trump said in the video. “It would be so good for you and
so big for you. And we are going to win. We are going to win.”
When Kennedy suspended his candidacy on Aug. 24, he planned to remove his name from the ballot in 10 states because he feared that he might spoil Trump’s chances of winning against Vice President Kamala Harris. He withdrew from Arizona and Pennsylvania. But in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, it was too late.
“Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in the battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues,” Kennedy said at a press conference in Arizona in late August.
In a country that is already so divided, the last thing needed is to lose trust in politicians. Kennedy doesn’t care about democracy; he is Trump’s puppet. It was never the American people, referred to when Trump kept saying, “We are going to win.” Kennedy’s only agenda was to fool people and help Trump win the election by taking away votes from Democrats. When Americans would’ve voted for Kennedy, it would be a vote for Trump. Kennedy was seen as an alternative to the two-party system, someone that can be a voice to those who didn’t resonate with either candidate nor party. That is what people believed they were voting for. Instead of solving the broken political system, he’s a part of it.
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