Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that he is “proud that President Trump likes me” after being confronted by a reporter about his support from Republicans.
Kennedy said his goal was to bring people from across the political spectrum together.
NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas asked Kennedy about his unlikely support during a town hall on Wednesday.
Vargas stated that Kennedy is “getting a lot of support from a lot of leading voices on the right like Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, former President Donald Trump.”
On Monday, Trump praised Kennedy during an interview with radio host Howie Carr.
“I’ve actually had a very nice relationship with him over the years. He’s a very smart guy, and a good guy,” Trump said. “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. Doing very well.”
The moderator asked Kennedy about the comment and how some Democrats fear that he may become a spoiler in the race.
“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,” Vargas said. “This week, former President Trump said about you, ‘Kennedy is smart and he’s a common sense guy.’ What kind of man do you think Donald Trump is?”
Kennedy replied, “Here’s what I’m not gonna do in this race. I’m not gonna attack other people personally. I don’t think it’s good for our country.”
The candidate said that he hopes to “bring people together” and “to try to bridge the divide between Americans.”
🚨Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a new statement on Donald Trump saying “I’m proud that President Trump likes me. I want to bring people together.” pic.twitter.com/KYN3a5GAOS
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) June 29, 2023
“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 wanna alienate people,” Kennedy asserted. “I want to bring people together. I’m proud that all these people like me and that I have independent supporters and Democratic supporters.”
Kennedy noted that “Every Democrat says, ‘I want to end the polarization,’ but how do you do that without talking to people who don’t agree with you?”
A poll from The Economist and YouGov released earlier this month found that Kennedy is viewed favorably by 49 percent of likely voters, giving him a net favorability rating of 19 points.
Biden had a minus-9 net favorability rating and Trump had a minus-10.
