(NewsNation) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed confidence that he will secure a spot on the ballot in all 50 states by mid-July, despite efforts by political opponents to derail his campaign.
“I will be on all 50 states by mid-July,” Kennedy said Monday on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.” “We’re already halfway there in terms of electoral votes.”
Kennedy acknowledged the arcane system that makes it difficult for independent candidates to get on state ballots. However, he said his campaign had already met stringent signature requirements in the major states of Texas, New York and California.
“The other states are all pretty easy. And we will definitely have them by mid-July,” he stated. “So I will be on the ballot in 50 states, despite all the efforts to keep me off.”
Kennedy said his campaign has already been approved for nine state ballots and had collected sufficient signatures for 10 more states.
However, Kennedy said his team is intentionally holding back on immediately filing those signature petitions in certain states because he said the Democratic National Committee allegedly works to get signers to rescind their signatures after they are filed.
Israel-Palestine conflict
On the escalating violence between Israel and Palestinian militants, Kennedy sided with Israel’s military actions, calling it “the height of irony” that Israel is being blamed for civilian deaths while Hamas uses human shields.
“Israel cannot win … The international press acts credulously to every pronouncement by Hamas and with fierce skepticism towards anything Israel does or says,” he said.
Campus protests
Regarding student protests on college campuses, Kennedy said peaceful demonstrations should be allowed if they don’t disrupt other students’ rights or destroy property. However, he supported police intervention when protesters illegally occupied buildings.
“If you’re interfering with private property, if you’re breaking into buildings, those are illegal acts. And I think it’s appropriate to have a police response,” he stated. “I’m a very, very strong advocate of free speech as long as protests are peaceful.”
Criticism of Biden
Kennedy stood by his controversial claim that President Joe Biden poses a greater threat to democracy than former President Donald Trump did, citing Biden’s alleged collusion with social media companies to censor critics.
“President Biden began censoring his political opponents,” Kennedy alleged, accusing Biden of violating free speech protections in a way that could enable future presidents to abuse constitutional rights.