Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says former President Donald Trump does not deserve another term in the White House because he got “run over” by Dr. Anthony Fauci and bowed down to bureaucrats in response to the coronavirus.
Mr. Kennedy, a third-party contender for president, said Mr. Trump knew better but still fell in line behind Dr. Fauci, who served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other government officials.
“Donald Trump knew what was wrong,” Mr. Kennedy said on Glenn Beck’s radio show. “He knew not to shut down our businesses and he knew about lockdowns, he knew about ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine. He said it, he tried to speak up but his own bureaucrats told him to shut up, and he unfortunately did what he was told.”
“That’s why I think that he doesn’t deserve another chance,” he said.
Mr. Kennedy also said Dr. Fauci has not been jailed “because Joe Biden is president and because unfortunately, Donald Trump … was run over by him.”
Mr. Kennedy’s criticism of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus has been a defining feature of his longshot White House bid — feeding concerns within Trump world that his message could pull some of their supporters in his direction.
There is some evidence of that.
An NBC national poll released over the weekend found Mr. Kennedy pulls more support from Mr. Trump, who leads Mr. Biden, 46% to 44%, in a head-to-head matchup.
But Mr. Trump trails Mr. Biden by 2 percentage points when Mr. Kennedy and other third-party contenders — Jill Stein and Cornel West — are included.
The survey showed 15% of Trump supporters swung their support behind Mr. Kennedy when given the option, compared to 7% of Biden supporters.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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