MSNBC anchor Ari Melber clashed with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an interview Wednesday, with the host questioning how the candidate downplayed former President Trump’s “danger.” Mr. Kennedy shot back, saying Mr. Melber was “perpetuating abusive language.”
Melber compared Kennedy to 2000 Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, noting that some have accused Kennedy of creating a “false equivalency” between President Biden and former President Trump.
“People aren’t worried that this is Nader 2.0, they’re worried that you’re using this platform, and the following are both devastating and suggest that they’re similar. I’m worried about what I have to do,” Melber said in a conversation on “The Beat.” “And they say you’re ignoring not just the policy differences, but the real democratic and authoritarian threats that could arise if Donald Trump were to win again.”
Kennedy rejected this framework.
“I never said that,” he replied. “As I said earlier, I think both of them have done bad things for our country.”
“Neither of them can stop the vitriolic anger you are now trying to sustain,” he continued, taking a jab back at Melber.
“You’re running for president. It’s a big job. I’m asking you to–” Melber answered, interrupted. “You just said I was perpetuating vitriol. I asked you to prove it.”
Asked again, Kennedy refused to answer Melber’s question, responding to criticism that Melber had created a false equivalency between the two leading candidates. Mr. Melber again challenged Mr. Kennedy, citing the January 6 Capitol riot as an example.
“They stormed the Capitol. They tried to overturn the certification and the results of a legitimate election,” Melber said of Trump supporters. “And Donald Trump has now come out here and said, according to his lawyer, that he has a ‘license to kill,’ a license to stage a coup, and that he will pardon all of these people. , are you saying it’s harsh to discuss it?”
“No, it’s not,” Melber continued. “Having a clear position on the peaceful transfer of power is a very low bar, a very low bar.”
President Kennedy then wavered on whether he would issue pardons to people charged with crimes related to the riot. Kennedy’s campaign has previously referred to rioters as “activists,” but the president has repeatedly been ambivalent about the issue.
“I’m going to use the pardon. I don’t know who I’m going to use it on,” Kennedy said. “I’m a lawyer. I’m going to consider every case that comes before me and make a decision on it.”
Mr. Melber also challenged the viability of the entire campaign, calling Mr. Kennedy a potential spoiler.
Melber told Kennedy, “With all due respect, if it’s not a spoiler, I’d like to say you haven’t proven it yet,” adding that independents are on the ballot in some states. He pointed out that only.
The unconventional former Democrat is an outsider focused on reforming Washington, with an anti-vaccination platform and a support base from both parties. President Kennedy rejected the label of “spoiler,” and he argued that he had a real chance to win in November, while President Biden did not.
“A spoiler is someone who doesn’t win and by continuing to participate in the election disappoints the expectations of those who will win,” he said. “But under this standard, President Biden can’t win, so he’s a spoiler. If I stay here, he can’t win. If I leave, he’s even worse.”
Mr. Kennedy has about 8% support in a three-way poll with the two leading candidates, according to DDHQ/The Hill polling average. Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden have attacked Mr. Kennedy’s campaign, fearing that Mr. Kennedy could steal votes from their base.
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