Newsmax has surprisingly stayed on the story of Robert Kennedy Jr.’s presidential candidacy, both good and bad. It was still doing that in early August when he was still fighting to get on ballots as an independent candidate:
- RFK Jr. Accuses DNC of ‘Lawfare’ to Keep Him Off N.Y. Ballot
- Judge Rules Against RFK Jr. in Fight to Be on N.Y. Ballot
- Pollster: RFK Jr. Could Impact Pennsylvania
When talk that Kennedy was considering ending his presidential campaign to align with Trump, an article by Theodore Bunker promoted it; when Kennedy gave a speech announcing it, an article by Nick Koutsubinas touted a Trump lackey claiming that CNN cut away from it “because the outlet couldn’t bear to hear the truth about the Democratic Party spoken” (Newsmax had a separate article about this as well). As talk of Kennedy’s support grew more transactional, Newsmax seemed OK with that too:
Newsmax gave space to Kennedy to justify his decision in an Aug. 23 article by Mark Swanson:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. crucified the Democratic Party during a speech on Friday to announce that he’s ending his independent presidential campaign and endorsing Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In the speech in Phoenix, Arizona, carried by Newsmax, Kennedy accused Democrats of “dismantling” Democracy “in the name of saving Democracy.”
[…]“Back then the Democrats were champions of the constitution, of civil rights; the Democrats stood against authoritarianism, against censorship, against colonialism, imperialism and unjust wars,” Kennedy began. “It was the party of democracy.”
“As you know, I left that party in October because it had departed so dramatically from the core values that I grew up with. It had become the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag and big money,” he went on.
Kennedy launched his bid as an independent last fall.
Of course, the fact that Kennedy chose to align with a Republican would seem to justify the Democrats freezing him out, but Swanson didn’t mention that; a separate article noted that Kennedy family members called RFK Jr. out for his ” betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear.” Still, Newsmax did what it could to bolster his decision and Trump’s attempts to suck up to him:
- Trump: RFK Jr. Boosts Efforts to Reach Disaffected Dems
- Trump Vows Panels on Assassinations, Health
- Jamal Holley to Newsmax: Dems Not Same Party RFK Jr. Grew up With
- Jim McLaughlin to Newsmax: RFK Jr. Endorsement a ‘Game Changer’
- RFK Jr.: MAGA Recalls ‘a Nation Brimming With Vitality’
- Kudlow: RFK Endorsement Killed Harris Convention Bounce
- Rep. Grothman to Newsmax: RFK Jr. Endorsement ‘Positive’ for Trump
- Danielle Alvarez to Newsmax: RFK Jr.’s Endorsement Shows Trump’s Broad Coalition
An Aug. 28 column by John Tantillo — the branding guy who wants you to think that he just stopped being a Democrat — similarly endorsed Kennedy’s flip-flop: “RFK Jr. is Democrat royalty, and underestimating this salient feature would be a mistake for the naysayers of his change to criticizing the Democratic Party and supporting Trump. By being a long-term, brand-loyal Democrat, RFK Jr. gives dissatisfied, traditional, blue-collar Democrats a reason to consider Trump.” Tantillo didn’t mention that Kennedy is an anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist, which is likely the main reason most Democrats rejected him, and he didn’t explain why such a crazy person would be an asset to Trump.
On the other hand, Newsmax did do an article on Kennedy dumping of a dead bear in Central Park, so there’s that.