Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was eliminated from the Libertarian Party’s nomination process during Sunday’s first round of voting.
Kennedy received 19 votes, which represents about two percent.
The candidate had accepted the nomination for the Libertarian Party and addressed the convention on Friday — despite previously saying he would not run as a Libertarian. The delegate who nominated him was met with loud booing from the rest of the convention.
The Hill reports:
Kennedy has raised a strong profile among centrists, selling himself as an anti-establishment figure suspicious of the traditions of government. Though Kennedy is widely seen as a long-shot contender against Trump and President Biden, recent polling has suggested he could be a spoiler for Trump in November.
The ex-Democrat has about 8 percent support in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls, where Trump leads Biden by just more than 1 percent.
During the convention, the Kennedy campaign handed out rubber chickens to try to get people to squeak them during Trump’s speech because the former president declined to debate him.
Former President Trump also blasted Kennedy in a series of Truth Social posts in late April.
Trump said he would even “take Biden” over RFK and accused him of being a Democrat plant.
“RFK Jr. is a Democrat ‘Plant,’ a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, get Re-Elected,” Trump began.
“A Vote for Junior’ would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him. Junior’ is totally Anti-Gun, an Extreme Environmentalist who makes the Green New Scammers look Conservative, a Big Time Taxer and Open Border Advocate, and Anti-Military/Vet…”
Trump said that the “radicalized” Kennedy family would “never allow him to be a Republican,” and that his primary funder is his vice presidential candidate that “nobody ever heard of.”
In a third post, Trump wrote, “I lived with RFK Jr. in New York and watched him convince Governor Cuomo to make Environmental moves that were outright NASTY. Upstate New York was not allowed to drill or frack as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and others ripped off New York Energy. Because of this, prices have skyrocketed all over that part of the Country, but especially Upstate New York and New England. Their Energy Costs are the highest in the U.S., with the exception of California, run by Gavin Newscum, the Worst Governor in the State’s History.”
In the ultimate slam, Trump concluded by saying, “I’d even take Biden over Junior’, because our Country would last a year or two longer prior to collapse – But it would be dead either way. His Views on Vaccines are FAKE, as is everything else about his Candidacy. Let the Democrats have RFK Jr. They deserve him!”