Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that he will run for the White House.
President Kennedy announced Monday that he will run for president as an independent, while the Democratic National Committee (DNC) defends President Biden’s support.
“Something inside of us is stirring that this doesn’t have to be the case,” Kennedy said, adding that Americans “are ready to take back our freedom and independence.”
RFK JR teases “important announcement” amid speculation about opening his own business
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left) and President Biden (right). (Fox News)
“I am here to declare myself an independent candidate for President of the United States,” Kennedy continued.
“But that’s not all. I’m here with you to make a new declaration of independence for our entire nation,” President Kennedy said. “We declare our independence from the corporations that have taken over our government.”
President Kennedy also said he and the assembled crowd declared independence from both political parties and the “mercenary media.”
President Kennedy called for national unity and said that politicians were “all part of their fraud to make us all hate each other.”
Kennedy was originally running as a Democrat in an intraparty challenge to Biden, but the DNC announced it would not hold a primary debate and instead endorsed the current president.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that he will run as a third-party candidate for the White House. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
Kennedy has been a thorn in Biden’s side since announcing his presidential bid earlier this year, co-opting a significant portion of Biden’s Democratic supporters.
Those numbers are unlikely to change significantly even if he runs as an independent, and there is even a possibility that Kennedy could siphon off Republican votes as a third-party candidate.
Additionally, Kennedy’s campaign does not have a Secret Service detail listed, even after he was confronted by an armed person posing as law enforcement who tried to infiltrate a campaign event.
President Joe Biden takes the podium during the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 20, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
The candidate said in July that he requested Secret Service protection from the Biden administration for the 2024 election, but was denied.
Kennedy’s announcement came after speculation swirled about what Monday’s announcement would be.
Armed man posing as law enforcement officer arrested at RFK JR campaign event in Los Angeles
A week before the announcement that President Kennedy would be taking the White House from a third party, rumors began to circulate online.
Kennedy has also received support from the rich and famous, most notably last month’s concert fundraiser with rock and roll legend Eric Clapton. (Harry Heard/Redferns)
Kennedy has also received support from the rich and famous, most notably last month’s concert fundraiser with rock and roll legend Eric Clapton.
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According to the campaign, Clapton raised $2.2 million for Kennedy during the event, creating more financial runway for the presidential candidate as he continues his bid for the White House.
video footage Footage from the concert went viral, showing the Yardbirds alum shredding in front of a Kennedy 2024 banner.
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