Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said last week that if he were to be elected president he would call for sharp cuts in military spending. The statement came as the campaign of former President Donald Trump criticized Kennedy, describing him as too left-wing for voters.
Kennedy’s campaign said that the United States would dramatically cut military spending and instead shift the funds into social programs. One adviser to Kennedy’s campaign said that this would include “massive cuts in the military budget.”
The Kennedy campaign said that it would release more details later but one idea would be to decommission aircraft carriers and close foreign military bases. Domestic bases may be closed as well.
Kennedy has campaigned against American involvement in foreign wars. It appears likely that Kennedy would align his foreign policy with elements of the left of the political spectrum.
The candidate has long been an environmental activist and sought the Democratic nomination for president last year before deciding to run as an independent instead.
Trump has received support from unlikely quarters in recent weeks. He is slated to speak at the Libertarian National Convention. Kennedy had previously considered pursuing the party’s nomination for president.
However, he ultimately dropped the bid and is instead collecting signatures for his new ‘We the People’ Party.
Trump’s campaign denied that the former president considered Kennedy as a vice presidential candidate. Furthermore, Trump stepped up criticism of the candidate in recent weeks.
RFK Jr running as the stop Trump candidate. If you vote for him you vote to stop Trump. In his own words he is running to stop Trump not to stop Biden. pic.twitter.com/v6dhMTLxpQ
— Chris Barron 🇺🇸 (@ChrisRBarron) May 5, 2024
The Trump campaign’s concern could also stem from a recent poll that showed Kennedy potentially drawing off more Trump voters when included in polls.
The NBC News poll from last month showed Trump with a 2% edge over President Joe Biden in a direct head-to-head. However, when Kennedy and other independent candidates were added to the survey, Biden then led by 4%.
It appears that about double of those who supported Trump would consider switching their vote to Kennedy as compared to Biden voters.
