# RFK Jr Files to Run for President (Dropped Out on August 23, 2024) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 6, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260 "2023-04-06T16:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/81 "2023-07-16T03:21:39Z")
I have an otherwise-smart friend who supports RFK Jr. He’s a Kennedy fan generally, open to conspiracy theories, deeply distrustful of the U.S. government (I haven’t asked him about it directly, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that he believes there’s a Deep State or something like it), and not particularly a Biden fan. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/82 "2023-07-16T13:45:42Z")
MAGA Jr.\* previously was [ready to announce a faux separation from his wife](https://variety.com/2023/tv/politicians/cheryl-hines-robert-f-kennedy-jr-separation-offer-vaccine-1235639704/), to “shield” her from the consequences of his remarks. Maybe now he’ll go ahead with it. \*to add to the Trumpian vibes, he has promoted the idea of “sealing” the border “permanently”. With an even bigger wall? Duct tape? The world wonders. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/83 "2023-07-16T14:10:14Z")
I think his voice would be a huge drawback. As unfair as that sounds. I know it’s the result of a medical condition, but it would be a hurdle all the same in a job like the Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/84 "2023-07-16T15:10:59Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I have an otherwise-smart friend who supports RFK Jr. I too have an otherwise, intelligent, friendly and well-regarded neighbor who supports RFK Jr. I am completely baffled. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/85 "2023-07-16T15:16:33Z")
Hm. That boy … ain’t right: > **[RFK Jr. Said COVID-19 May Have Been ‘Ethnically Targeted’ to Spare Jews and...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jr-covid-19-ethnically-targeted-to-spare-jews-and-chinese)** > > Kennedy said “COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people,” but not “Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” He later denied saying that, despite video evidence. > Kennedy said “COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people,” but not “Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” He later denied saying that, despite video evidence. I guess he’s really going all in on getting the Trump vote, huh? Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/86 "2023-07-16T15:33:45Z")
If the descriptions of RFK fans in this thread represent them as a whole then they’ll take more votes away from Trump should the brain-addled moron run in the general. If he does run in the Democratic primaries he’ll just give Biden big primary wins in every state while he’s being ignored the entire time. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/87 "2023-07-16T15:38:13Z")
Yeah, I’m not worried about RFK’s effect on Biden. It’s Cornell West that gives me a little bit of the bubble guts. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/88 "2023-07-16T15:58:59Z")
I tell myself that I can’t imagine him taking his campaign to the general and obviously taking votes away from Biden. Just have to keep telling myself that because it’s not an easy thing to not imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/89 "2023-07-16T16:15:49Z")
There have been signs MAGA Jr. [is pointed towards a third-party run](https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7bb74/rfk-jr-could-be-laying-the-groundwork-for-a-third-party-run). It’s possible some Trumpites might vote for him in that event. I suspect though that they’d be outnumbered by disaffected Democrats swayed enough by his anti-corporate, antiwar diatribes and residual magic of the Kennedy name, to overlook his large body of offensive craziness and vote for him on a third-party ticket. And that might be sufficient in a tight race to swing the Presidency to Trump. So who is likely to be named MAGA Jr.'s VP choice? Marianne Williamson? Louis Farrakhan?\* Joe Arpaio (for the seal-the-border vote)? Sheila Jackson Lee? \*urged black people to avoid Covid-19 vaccination, calling it the white man’s “death plan”. \*\*dark horse candidate: Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.). One of two Buddhists in Congress, Johnson once said during a debate on increasing military personnel on Guam: “My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.” ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/90 "2023-07-16T18:10:56Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It’s possible some Trumpites might vote for him in that event. I suspect though that they’d be outnumbered by disaffected Democrats swayed enough by his anti-corporate, antiwar diatribes and residual magic of the Kennedy name, to overlook his large body of offensive craziness and vote for him on a third-party ticket. I don’t see this. He’s more likely to attract the Q wackos who thought JFK Jr was going to appear and anoint Trump as God-Emperor or whatever. Some might even confuse RFK Jr and JFK Jr and think this was part of Q’s plan, and vote for this guy to save Trump from the Deep State trying to put him in prison. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/91 "2023-07-16T18:21:55Z")
For those that actually know RFK Jr. supporters: 1. About how old are these supporters? 2. Are they actually likely to vote? From the descriptions here it seems like they are the type that won’t vote anyway because it is all fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/92 "2023-07-16T18:38:09Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > 1. About how old are these supporters? There was an RFK Jr. booth at the July 4 festival in my home town of El Cerrito, CA. The people there looked to be around 40 years old. I took a wide turn around the booth because I don’t like engaging with nutbars and their supporters. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/93 "2023-07-16T19:09:38Z")
“…Mr. Kennedy has [emerged as a persistent thorn in the side of Mr. Biden](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/19/us/politics/rfk-jr-biden-democrats.html), posing not so much a serious threat to the president’s renomination as a high-profile reminder that many Democratic voters would prefer new blood.” "Mr. Kennedy’s support among Democrats reached as high as 20 percent in polls in recent months, but a [Quinnipiac University poll](https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3873)this month also found Mr. Kennedy’s standing among Republicans to be fairly high: 40 percent viewed him favorably, compared with 31 percent of independents and 25 percent of Democrats… “He has also embraced podcasts, and recently recorded a more than three-hour-long appearance with Joe Rogan, whose immensely popular show reaches 11 million listeners per episode. The show, which has [been criticized for spreading misinformation](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/podcasts/the-daily/joe-rogan-spotify.html), largely caters to young men, and many of his listeners fall on the center-right of the political spectrum.”… “Mr. Kennedy and his PAC are drawing significant support from the tech world, including Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter who endorsed Mr. Kennedy, and [David Sacks](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/politics/david-sacks-desantis-twitter-musk.html), a venture capitalist who has raised money for Republicans and Democrats alike.”… "On a radio show Monday, Mr. Trump hailed Mr. Kennedy’s poll numbers, calling him a “very smart guy.” > **[Kennedy, Condemning ‘Censorship,’ Hits Democrats and Courts the Disaffected](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/us/politics/rfk-democrats-election.html)** > > His family name, libertarian bent and support from the tech world, along with his views on censorship and vaccines, have given Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a foothold in the 2024 contest. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/94 "2023-07-16T19:56:49Z")
1.Early to Mid 30’s 2.Some of them habitually vote, some only do if a candidate ‘speaks to them’. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/95 "2023-07-16T23:42:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If the descriptions of RFK fans in this thread represent them as a whole then they’ll take more votes away from Trump should the brain-addled moron run in the general. The person that I know who loves RFKJr is a far-lefty. He’d only be taking a vote away from Tulsi Gabbard. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/96 "2023-07-16T23:45:28Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > For those that actually know RFK Jr. supporters: > > 1. About how old are these supporters? > 2. Are they actually likely to vote? From the descriptions here it seems like they are the type that won’t vote anyway because it is all fixed 1. 63 2. Most definitely. Is on Facebook daily urging others to vote for him. Luckily few followers. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/97 "2023-07-16T23:49:05Z")
Thanks @Jeff_Lichtman and @MyFootsZZZ. That’s younger than I though. I was expecting them to be aging hippies. I wouldn’t expect people in their 30’s and 40’s to care much about the Kennedy name. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > “Mr. Kennedy and his PAC are drawing significant support from the tech world, including Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter who endorsed Mr. Kennedy, and [David Sacks](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/politics/david-sacks-desantis-twitter-musk.html), a venture capitalist who has raised money for Republicans and Democrats alike.”… Interesting article, but I think it is being misleading by representing three tech execs as significant support. Maybe they will help fund RFK Jr., but they were never going to support Biden. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/98 "2023-07-17T06:49:19Z")
Like grandfather, like grandson. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/99 "2023-07-17T08:13:34Z")
RFK Jr. on Trump. From the recent _New Yorker_ interview. [It sounds like Trump talking about Putin…] * * * **So you’re equating President Biden’s attitude toward the Constitution and the law with former President Trump.** What do you think is worse, David? What do you think is worse: the White House using the F.B.I. to censor political dissenters, or whatever Trump has done? **But why do you think Donald Trump admires you? Are you not suspicious of that?** You know what? My job is not to drive people apart. I think what you guys have decided that you’re going to do, in the press, is create this polarization and feed the anger and feed the hatred. And I don’t want to do that. > **[The Alternative Facts of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.](https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-alternative-facts-of-robert-f-kennedy-jr)** > > The Democratic Presidential candidate talks about his right-wing admirers, his distrust of scientists and the media, and his belief that the C.I.A. was involved in J.F.K.’s death. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260/100 "2023-07-17T14:55:41Z")
And this person doesn’t see anything non-far-left about voting for an avowed antisemite. Typical. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rfk-jr-files-to-run-for-president-dropped-out-on-august-23-2024/982260.md?page=6)