Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leaned into the “brain worm” jibe while criticizing former President Donald Trump for his response to COVID-19.
Kennedy spoke Friday afternoon at the Libertarian National Convention at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where Trump is scheduled to speak tomorrow.
Both Kennedy and Trump want to sway libertarian voters, even though the party is prepared to select its own candidate.
“Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory,” Kennedy said. “I don’t remember anywhere in the United States Constitution where there is an exemption for pandemics.”
Kennedy, who is currently trying to secure his own spot on ballots across the country, was warmly received by the crowd, especially when he criticized the shutdowns imposed by Trump in the early months of the pandemic.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leaned into the “brain worm” jibe while criticizing former President Donald Trump for his response to COVID-19 during an appearance Friday at the Libertarian National Convention.
The former Democrat, who became an independent in October when his presidential bid wasn’t gaining enough momentum to make a dent in President Joe Biden, pointed to how Trump arrived and touted his business bona fides.
Then he “gave the keys to all of our businesses to a 50-year-old bureaucrat who has never been elected to anything,” Kennedy said, referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the leaders of Trump and Biden’s COVID-19 response. .
“President Trump imposed the greatest restriction on individual freedoms this country has ever known,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy, who has long been a prominent vaccine skeptic, also slapped the Biden administration for reaching out to social media companies during the early weeks of the Democrat’s term to take down medical “misinformation,” “which is factually accurate but nevertheless inconvenient”. .’
‘“I’m curious to see how President Trump will defend his attacks on the Constitution when I meet him on the debate stage,” the independent candidate later added.
The first presidential debate will be hosted by CNN on June 27, and Kennedy faces an uphill battle to appear on stage alongside the party’s two leading contenders.
Biden’s campaign pushed for an outright ban on third-party candidates on the debate stage.
Attendees at the Libertarian National Convention, to be held at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, applaud during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s speech on Friday afternoon. They will choose their own candidate, but they will invite other presidential candidates to speak
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s brother Gabriel Shipton (pictured) was among those attending the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC this week. Robert F. Kennedy praised Assange during his speech on Friday
But CNN and ABC, which will host the second debate in September, set voting requirements for third-party contenders: They will need to reach 15 percent in four national polls over a set period of time.
As of Friday, Kennedy’s campaign said the candidate had received enough support in three of the four polls needed.
Kennedy will also need to appear on enough states’ ballots to win 270 Electoral College votes in the general election.
During Friday’s appearance at the Libertarian National Convention, Kennedy received the most applause for praising both Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, and Edward Snowden, who exposed U.S. government secrets.
“Julian Assange should be celebrated as a hero,” Kennedy said, as the crowd erupted into a chant of “Free Julian Assange.”
Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, attended the conference.
The founder of Wikileaks is currently detained in the United Kingdom.
Robert F. Kennedy received the biggest applause when he applauded both Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, promising to forgive Snowden and drop charges against the Wikileaks founder, who is in custody in the United Kingdom.
Of Snowden, the presidential hopeful said: “He’s a hero, not a criminal.”
“I’m going to do what President Trump should have done,” Kennedy promised. “On my first day I will pardon Edward Snowden and drop all charges against Julian Assange.”
Biden said last month that he is “considering” dropping all charges against Assange, a request made by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, since Assange is Australian.
The current president was also invited to appear at the Libertarian National Convention, but declined the offer.
He will spend part of the Memorial Day weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and will deliver a commencement address at West Point.