McCarthy suggests Biden would've dropped out earlier if he debated RFK Jr.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested that President Biden would have dropped his reelection bid earlier if he debated independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
McCarthy argued that the Democrats kicked Kennedy out of their party and that Vice President Harris, who filled in for Biden after his decision to not seek another term, would not have won the party’s nomination had she gone through a competitive primary.
“And think about how the Democratic Party treated him,” McCarthy said during his Friday night appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
“They kicked him out. They wouldn't even let him debate. Had he debated Biden, Biden would have collapsed a year earlier,” he continued. “They would have known, and the whole country would have known, Kamala had been lying the entire time about Joe Biden, but she could not won the nomination if she had to go through a primary. The only way she could become the nominee is the way they did it here.”
Biden debated Trump in late June on CNN. The president's performance during the 90-minute showing sparked even more concerns about his age as he was stumbling over his words and was not entirely clear when delivering some statements. Following the disastrous performance, Biden faced pressure from leaders of his party and donors to refrain from seeking another four years in the White House, a sentiment that was reflected in the polls prior and post-debate.
Kennedy kicked off his 2024 White House bid as a Democrat. In October, he left the party to run as an independent. Recently, his poll numbers dipped from low double digits. On Friday, he announced in Arizona that he would be suspending his run and officially backed former President Trump.
McCarthy, who was ousted from his speakership in October last year after eight GOP House members voted with all Democrats in the lower chamber, said that Kennedy’s decision to endorse Trump could have a “big” impact in battleground states.
“I mean Joe Biden won by 48,918 votes, and he was polling about nine points higher than where Kamala is polling today. So this could be the election.”
“And think of the applause he got in that crowd,” he continued, referencing Trump’s Arizona campaign event where Kennedy joined the former president for the first time on the trail.
“And if you're a Democrat, the Kennedy family is the closest there is to political royalty in that party. And it makes you wonder, would John F Kennedy be a Democrat today because of his positions were much different than the Democrat Party is today.”
The former Speaker of the lower chamber said that Trump should have Kennedy on his plane "at least once a week, and then have him going to other places the other days."
"And I think he would enjoy spending some time out there talking to American public," he said.
The California politician said that Kennedy’s addition wouldn’t swing the election by double-digits, but, he argued, it does not need to since the race is already expected to be close and the environmental lawyer has appeal among independent voters and those discontented with the current state of the Democratic Party.
“I don't think Kennedy is going to bring you 20 percent, but President Trump doesn't need 20 percent, he just needs, last time, he only needed less than 50,000 votes,” McCarthy said on Friday. “So this whole race really comes down to Pennsylvania and Georgia, when you're talking that this could be less than 100,000 votes, but Kennedy attracts libertarians, independents, disgruntled Democrats.”
Date: | |
Tag: | Joe Biden |
Topics
-
The Hill - Politics
Harris campaign suggests Trump avoiding debate because he doesn't want to defend ‘toxic positions’
Vice President Harris’s campaign on Friday argued that former President Trump shared a handful of “toxic positions” on the debate stage earlier this week and suggested he’s avoiding another debate ...48 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
MarketWatch - Business
Boeing’s stock drops as workers strike and history suggests it could get worse
Boeing’s stock was sinking ahead of Friday’s open after the aerospace giant’s machinists union voted to go on strike.2 hours ago -
CBS News - Politics
Trump says he won't debate Harris again
Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he won't debate Vice President Kamala Harris again, saying, "THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!"13 hours ago - Donald Trump -
NBC News - Politics
Trump says he will not do another debate with Harris
Former President Trump today said he won both presidential debates and will not do a third, as Vice President Harris is calling on him to do more. It comes as the Harris campaign is targeting North ...14 hours ago - Donald Trump -
NBC News - Top stories
Trump says he will not do another debate with Harris
Former President Trump today said he won both presidential debates and will not do a third, as Vice President Harris is calling on him to do more. It comes as the Harris campaign is targeting North ...14 hours ago - Donald Trump -
CBS News - Top stories
Trump says he won't debate Harris again
At an event in North Carolina on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris challenged former President Donald Trump to another debate, saying the candidates "owe it to the voters." Trump has since ...15 hours ago - Donald Trump -
Financial Times - Business
Trump rules out another US presidential debate
Announcement comes two days after he was rattled in a televised face-off with Kamala Harris16 hours ago - Donald Trump -
The Wall Street Journal - World
RFK Jr. Would Have Made JFK Proud
President Kennedy’s economic policies put him closer to Trump than Harris.17 hours ago -
The Wall Street Journal - World
Trump Says He Won't Debate Harris Again
The former president rebuffs the idea following a Philadelphia debate performance that left Republicans concerned.17 hours ago - Donald Trump -
CBS Sports - Sports
Cowboys' Mike McCarthy laments Saints TE Taysom Hill as one who got away: 'We thought he was a hell of a QB'
McCarthy looked back on coaching the Saints' Swiss Army knife years ago ahead of facing him on Sunday19 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Van Jones: Harris could've stopped 'elder abuse' late in debate with Trump
CNN political commentator Van Jones said late Thursday that Vice President Harris "humiliated" former President Trump at this week's debate, adding that the Democratic nominee could’ve stopped the ...45 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Protesters, media must stop normalizing terrorism
There’s plenty to criticize in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies and conduct of the war, but Americans should reject the spurious logic of moral equivalence.48 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Harris campaign suggests Trump avoiding debate because he doesn't want to defend ‘toxic positions’
Vice President Harris’s campaign on Friday argued that former President Trump shared a handful of “toxic positions” on the debate stage earlier this week and suggested he’s avoiding another debate ...48 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Walz: ‘You mess with cat people and you will find out’
Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) capitalized on the endorsement from Taylor Swift, telling his Republican challengers if they mess with cat people, they “will find out.” ...1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
No. 2 Senate GOP leader: Trump should debate Harris again
Senate Republican Whip John Thune (N.D.), the No. 2-ranking Senate GOP leader, says former President Trump should agree to a second debate with Vice President Harris. Thune, a leading candidate to ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump