CNN
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Impartial presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued Monday that President Joe Biden is a better risk to democracy than former President Donald Trump.
His argument made on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” centered round being blocked on social media platforms in the course of the Biden administration, which he labeled as an effort to “censor political speech” and undermine the First Modification.
“I could make the argument that President Biden is the a lot worse risk to democracy, and the rationale for that’s President Biden is the primary candidate in historical past – the primary president in historical past that has used the federal businesses to censor political speech, so to censor his opponent,” he mentioned.
Kennedy pointed to his elimination from social media platforms, which he attributes to stress from the Biden administration, as proof of the president’s efforts to censor political speech.
Kennedy’s Instagram account was suspended in 2021 “for repeatedly sharing debunked claims concerning the coronavirus or vaccines” however was reinstated final yr shortly after he introduced his presidential marketing campaign. Meta, Instagram’s guardian firm, cited his White House bid as the rationale for restoring Kennedy’s account in a press release.
In December, the Supreme Courtroom blocked Kennedy from becoming a member of a problem to a case introduced by the Missouri and Louisiana’s attorneys normal in regards to the Biden administration’s communications with social media firms about posts the federal government views as disinformation. Kennedy presently has an identical case pending in a decrease court docket.
Kennedy, who has made freedom of speech points a central focus of his marketing campaign, testified final yr earlier than the Home Judiciary’s subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal authorities. Kennedy was invited by Home Republicans to talk as a part of their investigation into alleged censorship in opposition to conservatives at social media firms.
Kennedy mentioned that whereas he believes Biden and Trump are each ill-suited to be reelected in November, he doesn’t consider rhetoric suggesting both candidate would “destroy democracy.
He added that if he needed to label one a better risk to democracy than the opposite, he’d select Biden as a result of he feels the president has been “weaponizing the federal businesses” in opposition to his opponents.
The unbiased candidate acknowledged that Trump’s try and overthrow the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election “clearly is a risk to democracy,” however maintained his perception that Biden is the better risk.
“I feel that could be a risk to democracy, (Trump) overthrowing — making an attempt to overthrow the election clearly is risk to democracy,” Kennedy mentioned. “However the query was, who’s a worse risk to democracy? And what I’d say is … I’m not going to reply that query. However I can argue that President Biden is as a result of the First Modification, Erin, is an important.”
“I’m not going to defend President Trump on that, and it was appalling. And there’s many issues that President Trump has carried out that which are appalling,” he added.
The Democratic Nationwide Committee responded to Kennedy, saying in a press release that “there is no such thing as a comparability” between Biden and Trump.
“With a straight face Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned that Joe Biden is an even bigger risk to democracy than Donald Trump as a result of he was barred from pushing conspiracy theories on-line,” DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill mentioned in a press release. “There isn’t a comparability to summoning a mob to the Capitol and promising to be a dictator on day one. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid to relaxation tonight any doubts that he’s a spoiler candidate by pushing his MAGA speaking factors in prime time.”
Within the interview, Kennedy minimized the potential dangers of questioning the integrity of elections, as he’s carried out in earlier presidential elections, however mentioned he feels it’s necessary for voters who consider the election was stolen to not be persecuted for his or her perception.
“Individuals who say that the election is stolen… we shouldn’t make pariahs of these folks. We shouldn’t demonize them. We shouldn’t vilify them. What we must be doing is saying, let’s all get collectively, Republicans and Democrats, and repair the election system,” he mentioned.
Kennedy mentioned in the course of the interview he believes the 2000 presidential election was “stolen,” and cited a Rolling Stone article he wrote in 2006 through which he questioned whether or not the 2004 presidential election was stolen.
Kennedy, 70, initially launched his presidential marketing campaign as a Democrat difficult Biden within the major final yr, earlier than pivoting to run as an unbiased in October. Final month, he introduced legal professional Nicole Shanahan, 38, as his vice presidential nominee at a marketing campaign rally in Oakland, California.
He has by no means held workplace however has impressed a small contingent of supporters drawn to his advocacy in opposition to public well being mandates and the affect of cash on selections made by authorities and personal firms. Kennedy has tried to distance himself from his earlier anti-vaccine rhetoric since launching his marketing campaign final yr, however he continues to assault Covid-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic-era lockdowns at marketing campaign occasions.
RFK Jr. reacts to members of the family talking out in opposition to his White Home bid
The son of former Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former Democratic President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy Jr. often makes use of his household’s legacy to bolster his marketing campaign message – however a number of members of his household have criticized him for difficult Biden.
Kennedy referred to as Biden “a 40-year good friend to me and my household,” however mentioned he’s not frightened about working for president with out his household’s assist, including he feels “cherished by them” regardless of their political variations.
Kennedy’s feedback come after members of his prolonged household, together with a few of his siblings, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on the White Home final month and shared their assist for Biden in a social media publish. Biden replied to 1 publish from Kennedy’s sister, Kerry Kennedy: “From one proud Irish household to a different — it was good to have you ever all again on the White Home.”
And in a CNN interview final week, Kennedy’s sister Rory Kennedy mentioned she’s involved he’ll undermine Biden’s possibilities of defeating Trump.
Kennedy instructed Burnett on Monday that he grew up disagreeing with members of his household often and nonetheless loves his members of the family who assist Biden for president.
“I’ve a giant household, about 105 cousins on the final time we counted,” Kennedy mentioned. “I’ve a giant household. I don’t know anyone in America who’s received a household who agrees with him on every part.”
“I come from a household, from a milieu the place we got here house at night time, and ate dinner with my father and he would orchestrate debates between us and we had been – in the identical method that his father did with him. And we might disagree on points, and we might disagree with ardour and data, however we nonetheless cherished one another. And I like Rory. I like my household. I really feel cherished by them.”
Kennedy additionally famous some members of his household are supportive of his marketing campaign, together with his daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his marketing campaign supervisor, and his first cousin Anthony Shriver, who he mentioned additionally works for his marketing campaign.
Kennedy additionally downplayed issues about enjoying the position of spoiler, arguing he believes neither Biden nor Trump will advance coverage objectives he desires prioritized, such because the nationwide debt and the discount of the US protection price range.
“I don’t suppose both President Trump or President Biden are going to resolve the debt disaster on this nation, which is existential. I don’t suppose both of them are going to get us out of overseas wars, this dependancy that now we have to without end wars,” he mentioned.
“The possibility for me to truly change the character of governance on this nation, to revive democracy, to revive our nation’s ethical authority overseas, give us a overseas coverage that’s not primarily based on struggle or projecting army energy overseas, however on projecting financial energy and ethical energy. The possibilities of that taking place are too nice and too necessary for me to surrender this contest,” he added.
This story has been up to date with extra reporting.