Current:Home > StocksNew York RFK Jr. campaign official suggests he's a spoiler who can help Trump win -WealthGrow Network
New York RFK Jr. campaign official suggests he's a spoiler who can help Trump win
View
Date:2025-04-14 01:52:13
A campaign official for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s New York operation suggested to a group of Republican voters Friday that the independent candidate could help former President Donald Trump in his rematch with President Joe Biden.
According to the video of the event, which was posted on the Uncle Mertie YouTube account and then taken down, Rita Palma, who identified herself as Kennedy's New York state director, encouraged GOP voters to sign a petition to put Kennedy on the ballot in New York, arguing it would "get rid of Biden" and might even hand former President Trump a win in a heavily Democratic state.
"The only way that Trump can even (have a) remote possibility of taking New York is if Bobby is on the ballot," Palma said. If it's Trump v. Biden, Biden wins."
The idea that Kennedy would be a spoiler for either candidate is one Kennedy has consistently denied.
Palma, who started working with the campaign a few weeks ago as a ballot access consultant overseeing volunteer shifts in New York, also raised the possibility that Kennedy might even win New York, which could also be helpful to Trump.
"Give those 28 (New York) electoral votes to Bobby rather than to Biden, thereby reducing Biden's 270. And we all know how that works, right — 270 wins the election," Palma said. "If you don't get to 270, if nobody gets to see 270, then Congress picks the president, right? Right now we have a majority of Republicans in Congress."
In response to Palma's remarks, the campaign said, "[Rita Palma] is not involved in electoral strategy, nationally or in New York. This was not a campaign event."
"Palma was speaking as a private citizen and her statements in no way reflect the strategy of the Kennedy campaign, which is to win the White House with votes from former Trump and Biden supporters alike," the campaign told CBS News in a statement Monday. However, the campaign's website shows she has a "team Kennedy" email address.
In the video, Palma also told voters she had previously canvassed for Trump in Pennsylvania in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles. She also encouraged voters to knock on doors in Pennsylvania to help Trump win.
"Go to Pennsylvania," she said. "Go to — if you want to help Trump, go to Pennsylvania. Knock on doors."
The Kennedy campaign insists that if anything, RFK Jr.'s campaign is a spoiler for both Biden and Trump, but Palma told voters the independent long shot is more of a spoiler for the Biden campaign. She pointed to the Democratic National Committee's creation of a group dedicated to weakening third-party campaigns.
"He's actually pulling a little bit more from Biden, which explains why the DNC is kind of ganging up on him," Palma said.
Palma's comments indicate differing motives among the campaign's supporters, prompting Democrats to suggest that some Trump allies may be backing Kennedy with the goal of helping the former president return to the White House.
"RFK Jr's campaign isn't building a plan or a strategy to get 270 electoral votes, they're building one to help Trump return to the Oval Office," DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni said in a statement Monday.
The incident marks the second time in a week that the campaign revealed divisions in its approach to mobilizing voters for the independent candidate.
Over the weekend, Kennedy issued three statements in an attempt to walk back earlier comments calling Jan. 6 protesters "activists" who "had no weapons" after a fundraising ad was released in error by the campaign.
Kennedy apologized in an updated statement on Saturday and said, "My understanding that none of the January 6 rioters who invaded the capitol were carrying firearms was incorrect."
"Several have been convicted of carrying firearms into the Capitol building. Others assaulted Capitol police with pepper spray, bludgeons, and other makeshift weapons. This behavior is inexcusable," he said.
The campaign said it had terminated its contract with the marketing contractor who put together the fundraising ad.
- In:
- RFK Jr.
Allison Novelo is a 2024 campaign reporter for CBS News.
TwitterveryGood! (198)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian Reveal Sex of Baby No. 2
- Parents share what they learned from watching 'Bluey'
- Trump allies form new legal defense fund
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- What Euphoria—And Hollywood—Lost With Angus Cloud's Death
- Biden opened a new student debt repayment plan. Here's how to enroll in SAVE.
- After yearlong fight, a near-total abortion ban is going into effect in Indiana
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- As electoral disputes mount, one Texas court case takes center stage
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Euphoria Creator Sam Levinson Reflects on Special Angus Cloud's Struggles Following His Death
- Analysis: Buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf a new signal of worsening US-Iran conflict
- Mandy Moore Calls 2-Year-Old Son Gus a Champ Amid Battle With Crazy Rash
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Brightly flashing ‘X’ sign removed from the San Francisco building that was Twitter’s headquarters
- Euphoria's Zendaya Pays Tribute to “Infinite Beauty” Angus Cloud After His Death
- Add Some Magic to Your Beauty Routine With the Charlotte Tilbury and Disney Collection
Recommendation
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
Environmental groups say they’ll sue to block Virginia from leaving greenhouse gas compact
Niger will face sanctions as democracy falls apart, adding to woes for more than 25 million people
Congress tries to break fever of incivility amid string of vulgar, toxic exchanges
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Man dies after being electrocuted while jumping into Georgia's Lake Lanier
Voting rights groups urge court to reject Alabama's new congressional map
Oxford school shooter was ‘feral child’ abandoned by parents, defense psychologist says