Former President Trump welcomed a court decision that will prevent independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s name from appearing on the ballot in North Carolina, acknowledging the risk Kennedy posed to him in the battleground state.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted last week to deny Kennedy's request for removal from office. Kennedy challenged the decision in Wake County Superior Court. Sentencing on Thursday He must remain on the ballot.
A judge on Friday blocked the state from distributing mail-in ballots that still had Kennedy's name on them and delayed the start of voting to await a possible appeal.
“That sounds like a bad thing about him, but it's not, it's actually a great thing,” Trump said Friday in a speech to leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte. “He's a great team player.”
“Some people aren't going to realize that and they're going to vote for him instead of voting for us, and that's not going to do us much good,” Trump continued. “And that means all of the people who love Bobby, and there are a lot of them, and all of the things he stands for, especially our health and well-being, can now vote for me. So all of the people who support Bobby are going to vote for me.”
Kennedy endorsed Trump last month after mostly abandoning his own independent bid for the White House, but his name could still hurt Republican candidates. He is still expected to appear on the ballot in most Republican and Democratic states, but he said he will remove his name in battleground states that could make a difference in the race.
A Michigan judge also ordered Kennedy removed from the state's general election ballot on Friday, overturning earlier efforts to keep his name on the ballot.
Wisconsin, another key battleground state, refused to remove it from the ballot.
