Trump Jr. Labels RFK Jr. as 'Democrat Plant', Suggests Kennedy's Independent Presidential Bid Could Harm Trump's Electoral Prospects

Polls suggest RFK's independent presidential bid may hurt Trump more than Biden, despite Trump Jr.'s contention that Kennedy is a Democratic political tactic.

Donald Trump Jr., while volunteering for his father's 2024 presidential campaign, has argued that Robert F. Kennedy Jr's independent presidential bid is a Democratic tactic meant to undermine Trump. Trump Jr. believes Kennedy’s presence in the election is at the behest of the Democrats.
Trump Jr. points to Kennedy's liberal stances on issues like immigration and gun control as evidence of his alignment with the Democratic Party, despite his anti-vax stance, which resonates with a significant portion of Trump's base.
Kennedy, who originally launched his campaign as a Democrat, switched to an independent run after his bid was largely ignored by the Democratic establishment. He has built his campaign on distrust of the two-party system and skepticism of COVID-19, including the COVID vaccine.
The independent run of Kennedy has led to significant debate about whether it would hurt President Biden or Trump more, with some polls suggesting that Trump is at higher risk of losing votes. One Quinnipiac University survey shows that Kennedy has higher favorability among Republicans (48%) than Democrats (14%).
Kennedy's independent campaign has also come under criticism from Florida's Governor, Ron DeSantis, who believes Kennedy’s candidacy would harm Trump more than it would harm his own potential nomination. DeSantis points to Kennedy's anti-Fauci and anti-lockdown platform attracting anti-lockdown and anti-Fauci voters, potentially pulling votes away from Trump.