Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard rally for Trump in Las Vegas
Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Reclaim America Tour event at the Bob Price Recreational Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 21, 2024. Kennedy gave up his bid for the 2024 presidential election in late August to throw his support behind former president Donald Trump and said during the Las Vegas event he had a new perspective on Republican voters.
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024 | 8:56 p.m.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Las Vegas crowd on Saturday night that the Democratic Party he grew up with “no longer exists.”
Kennedy and former U.S House Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii were here in support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, detailing their decision to switch party affiliations and ultimately support the White House bid of Trump.
Kennedy spoke about his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy, to illustrate what Trump’s campaign tagline of “Make America Great Again” means. He said that MAGA “is about returning to the 1960s, when my uncle was president.”
“We were a moral authority across the world,” Kennedy added.
The two criticized former Vice President Dick Cheney, a noted Republican, for supporting Kamala Harris in the race against Trump.
“The fact that she is celebrating the support of someone like Dick Cheney tells you everything you need to know about what kind of commander in chief she will be,” Gabbard said.
Kennedy also shared details of a recent phone call with Sean O’Brien, the general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
“He told me to send his love to Donald Trump,” Kennedy added.
Former House Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wave to crowds at the Reclaim America Tour event at the Bob Price Recreational Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 21, 2024. Gabbard and Kennedy, both former Democrats, stumped for former president Donald Trump at the Saturday Q&A, explaining how the former president’s policies aligned closer to their values.
The Teamsters, one of the largest unions in the country, announced this week that it would not make a presidential endorsement after months of uncertainty. This election marks the first in about 30 years that the union, which has a history with primarily backing Democrats, didn’t endorse a candidate.
Saturday’s attendees included a mix of longtime Trump voters and former Kennedy supporters, many of whom wore “Make America Healthy Again” shirts and hats. The motto, which plays on Trump’s MAGA, frequently echoes Kennedy’s anti-vaccine and medical conspiracies.
Would-have-been Kennedy voters and Las Vegas residents Maria and Robert Bourke said they have welcomed supporting Trump since the independent candidate’s departure from the race.
While Kennedy will remain on the ballot in most states, he will not be an option in Nevada.
“Trump has embraced a lot of the qualities of Kennedy’s campaign,” Robert Bourke said. “I felt like they had very similar platforms to begin with.”
Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald spoke before the duo took the stage, saying that he has a picture of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hanging in his home.
“It saddens me to say this, and I say this to all my fellow Catholics, there’s no longer a picture of the Pope in my house, but there is a picture of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in my house,” McDonald said, adding Pope Francis is unpopular among some American conservatives for supporting ideologies more progressive than his predecessors.