Former President Donald Trump told Newsmax on Monday that he knows and respects Democrat 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and feels he "has important points to make" in the race.
"I will say RFK Jr., who I have known, not very well, but I've known for a while, and respect him, a lot of people respect him," Trump said during "Eric Bolling The Balance" on Monday. "He's got some very important points to be made. He is a respected person."
Kennedy, 69, is the progeny of a political dynasty as the son of the late Democrat New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, and nephew to the late President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, and the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
The New York Times reported June 19 that while President Joe Biden has the nation's top Democrats behind his reelection bid, Kennedy could be a thorn in his side, currently polling with as much as 20% support among Democrat voters.
"Could Bobby Kennedy catch a spark? Maybe," Michael Novogratz, a billionaire Democrat donor who supported Biden in 2020 but has pledged not to back any candidate older than 72, told the news outlet. "He's alienated himself because of some of the anti-vax positions, but he is a bright man, articulate, eloquent, connected, has the Kennedy name, and would pull a lot of the Trump voters."
Despite his pedigree, Kennedy has taken heat for his anti-vaccination positions and other positions to the "right" of the Democratic narrative, which makes some on the left feel he could take votes away from Trump, the report said.
A May 25 CNN poll has Biden leading the Democratic field with 60% of the vote, followed by Kennedy with 20%, and author Marianne Williamson with 8%.
The most troubling part of the poll for the Biden campaign is that while 45% of those surveyed said they would "definitely support" the candidate they picked in the poll, a majority of 55% said they "might change mind" on who they end up voting for in the primary.
The polling was conducted with 1,227 U.S. adults between May 17-20 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points, according to CNN.
Trump said that he questions whether Biden will "make it to the starting gate" for his 2024 run due to the potential "physical and mental" challenges he appears to be facing.
He also said that he doubts Democrats will allow a debate between RFK Jr. and Biden.
"I just don't think [Democrats] will allow [Biden] to debate anybody," Trump said. "You could put up a child, and they won't allow him to debate. They're not going to allow it to happen."
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