Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. said he is “proud” to have the praise of former President Donald Trump during a town hall event Wednesday on NewsNation.
In front of a live studio audience, host Elizabeth Vargas made note of the fact that people across the political spectrum have shown support for Kennedy’s presidential bid.
She also pointed out Trump, the leading GOP contender in 2024, had made complimentary remarks about him.
In what appeared to be an attempt to bait him into stumbling or attacking the former president, Vargas portrayed Kennedy as a “spoiler” candidate and asked if the sentiment Trump shared about him was reciprocated.
“Many Democrats fear that you’re a spoiler in the race, that you will damage President Biden in the primary and grease the skids for former President Trump to return to the Oval Office,” she said.
Vargas then noted, “This week, former President Trump said about you, ‘Kennedy is smart and he’s a common sense guy.’”
She asked, “What kind of man do you think Donald Trump is?”
Kennedy did not take the bait but rather portrayed himself as a candidate who wants to bring people together.
“Here’s what I’m not gonna do in this race,” the candidate said. “I’m not gonna attack other people personally. I don’t think it’s good for our country.”
Kennedy said his father, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was a unifier, and he will seek to follow him in that respect. He told a story about accompanying RFK Sr.’s body on a funeral train in 1968 as Americans of all stripes paid their respects to his father.
Then he answered Vargas’ question about Trump.
“And so I’m proud that President Trump likes me, even though I don’t agree with him on most of his issues, because I don’t want to alienate people,” he said. “I want to bring people together.”
Kennedy concluded, “I’m proud that all these people like me and that I have independent supporters and Democratic supporters.”
Kennedy is currently polling at around 20 percent in the Democratic primary while four in 10 Democrats want someone other than President Joe Biden in the White House after 2024, FiveThirtyEight reported.
Trump was asked for his thoughts on Kennedy earlier this week by radio host Howie Carr.
“He’s been very nice to me. I’ve actually had a very nice relationship with him over the years,” the former president said. “He’s a very smart guy and a good guy.”
“He’s a very good man and his heart is in the right place. And he’s doing really well, I saw a poll, he’s at 22. That’s pretty good! That’s pretty good.”
@realDonaldTrump joins the show at 3 PM today, discussing IRS whistleblowers, Russia, and even @RobertKennedyJr! pic.twitter.com/1lIfLgk8Ke
— Howie Carr (@HowieCarrShow) June 26, 2023
Trump added, “He’s a common sense guy and so am I. So, whether you’re conservative or liberal, common sense is common sense.”
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