Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a speech on Monday that he dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary race to instead run as an independent.
"People stop me everywhere, at airports and hotels and malls on the street, and they remind me that this country is ready for a history-making change. They are ready to reclaim their freedom, their independence. And that's why I'm here today. I'm here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States,” he told supporters in front of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
"I'm coming here today to declare our independence from the journey of corruption, which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future and our respect for each other. But to do that, I must first declare my own independence, independence from the Democratic Party," he said.
What does that mean to Kennedy? He explained Tuesday on X:
Because I am independent of the military contractors, I will be able to pursue a foreign policy of peace and diplomacy.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 10, 2023
Because I am independent of Wall Street, I will be able to rescue debtors instead of banks.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 10, 2023
Because I am independent of the corporations, I’ll be able to unravel the capture of our federal agencies.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 10, 2023
Watch my speech here: https://t.co/QSVUMRxA0m
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 10, 2023
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel cautioned, however, that there's nothing "independent" about him.
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“Make no mistake – a Democrat in Independent’s clothing is still a Democrat. RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes – he is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled," she said in a statement. "American families deserve commonsense leadership that will return America’s energy independence, stop Bidenflation, secure our border, and get our country back on track, which is why our Republican nominee will be the next President of the United States.”
Kennedy admitted during his speech why both parties fear his candidacy.
“The Democrats are frightened that I'm gonna spoil the election for President Biden. The Republicans are frightened that I'm gonna spoil it for President Trump. The truth is they're both right,” Kennedy said Monday. “My intention is to spoil it for both of them.”
"The #Democrats are frightened that Im going to spoil the election from President #Biden. The #Republicans are frightened that I'm going to spoil it from President #Trump. The truth is they are both right. My intention is to spoil it for both of them" #RFKjr#Kennedy24 pic.twitter.com/sanshfxLBS
— American Values 2024 (@AmValues2024) October 10, 2023
