Former President Donald Trump has intensified his criticisms of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., focusing on his positions on firearms and energy while dismissing his vaccine skepticism as disingenuous.
“You think he’s an anti-vaxxer, he’s not really an anti-vaxxer. That’s only his political moment. He said the other night he’s okay with a vaccine,” Trump said in a May 9 Truth Social post. “RFK’s views on vaccines are fake, as is everything else about his candidacy. He is not a Republican, so don’t think you’re going to vote for him and feel good. He is a rabid-left Democrat. Let the Democrats have RFK Jr. They deserve him.”
Trump’s remarks come as analysts detect a shift in his rhetoric concerning the coronavirus vaccine, indicating that his campaign may see Kennedy as a potential threat among vaccine-skeptical voters.
Jason Roe, former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, told Politico that Trump is “insulating against it being a problem,” adding, “Trump is in a pretty commanding position in most of the polls in swing states, so why take the chance of RFK Jr. screwing it up for you.”
Kennedy has long been a vaccine skeptic, not just limited to the coronavirus vaccine, which was hurried through approval during the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed. He has supported theories that certain vaccines are linked to autism and has suggested that the coronavirus was designed to target specific racial or ethnic groups.
Del Bigtree, Kennedy’s campaign communications director, told Politico that Trump’s attacks are an attempt to reclaim an audience drifting towards Kennedy.
Although Trump has often praised Operation Warp Speed as “one of the greatest miracles” of his presidency, his administration’s pandemic response has been criticized by some Republican rivals.
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL), in particular, has attacked Trump from the right on issues related to the coronavirus response and vaccine promotion, accusing Trump of not being tough enough on states that enforced shutdowns and for giving too much power to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
However, the Trump campaign points out that the former president has consistently opposed vaccine mandates and state lockdowns since leaving office. “He has advocated for ending all unconstitutional Covid mandates and draconian lockdowns, and he fought vigorously against them,” Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes told Politico.
Trump’s base remains largely undeterred by criticisms of his pandemic response. Notably, Joe Biden’s presidency, which had access to the vaccine from the start, has seen a comparable coronavirus death toll to Trump’s term.
In response to Biden’s State of the Union address in March, Trump posted on Truth Social, “YOU’RE WELCOME, JOE, NINE MONTH APPROVAL TIME VS. 12 YEARS THAT IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU.”
Some conservative commentators argue that Trump should avoid boasting about the vaccine, especially with Kennedy in the race. “Donald Trump taking credit for the vaccine — if RFK wasn’t in the race, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal,” Charlie Kirk said on his show in March. “But you have to understand that there are millions of voters that look at the vaccine issue as a highly personal issue. … With RFK on the ballot, you cannot dismiss this coalition.”
Vaccine skepticism is becoming an appealing stance among some Republican voters. The Trump campaign might be reacting to polls, such as a recent Monmouth University survey, indicating a slight increase in Republican support for Kennedy due to his vaccine stance.
Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said, “Support for Kennedy is not particularly strong even among voters who dislike both Biden and Trump. If he can’t score a decisive win with these voters, it’s unclear what role he can play in this election other than as a spoiler.”
Murray added that while the “slight movement” is “not hugely perceptible … you can understand why it would be of concern to the Trump campaign” because “it only takes a few voters in key states to flip the Electoral College.”
Trump’s criticisms of Kennedy extend beyond vaccines, as he labels the independent candidate a “Democrat ‘Plant,’ a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden … get Re-Elected.”
“Jr. is totally anti-gun, extreme environmentalist who makes the green new scammers look very conservative by comparison, a big time taxer — he wants to tax you — an open border advocate — he wants those borders to be wide open for more people to come in from prisons and mental institutions — and he’s anti-military and he’s anti-vet,” Trump said in the Truth Social post. “He’s an extreme liberal, he’s radical left, and radicalized also are his family.”
