Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. focused his attacks on former President Donald Trump during his Friday speech at the Libertarian National Convention.
Kennedy, in an effort to attract the libertarian vote, addressed one of the most relevant topics of conversation within this electorate: individual liberties.
Under that argument, RFK attacked Trump by questioning his management of the COVID-19 crisis, accusing the former Republican president of capitulating to the Washington bureaucrats who, according to the independent candidate, promoted the most restrictive health policies on individual freedoms in history of the United States.
RFK questioned the former president for allowing lockdowns, mask mandates, school closures and other health measures during the pandemic.
“With lockdown, mask mandates, the travel restrictions, President Trump presided over the greatest restriction on individual liberties this country has ever known,” said RFK, who also criticized Trump for his involvement in Operation Warp Speed.
“He got rolled by his bureaucrats,” Kennedy added, earning applause from the public. “He caved in, and many of our most fundamental rights practically disappeared overnight.”
Despite RFK’s criticism, Trump was one of the few state leaders around the world to openly question COVID-19 lockdowns or mask mandates in 2020 when the pandemic broke out. That situation earned Trump a lot of criticism at the time, especially from the country’s main media and his Democratic adversaries.
This year, the Libertarian National Convention is particularly relevant because, in addition to RFK, former President Donald Trump will attend this Saturday.
According to Politico, Kennedy’s criticism of the former Republican president came just moments after Libertarian delegates clashed over Trump and RFK’s invitations to speak on the convention floor. This situation indicates that Trump’s Saturday speech could face some reluctance from the public present.
RFK, furthermore, barely questioned President Joe Biden during his speech, clearly attempting to attack the only candidate (Trump) who could win the Libertarian vote besides him in November.
Biden was only targeted by RFK for demanding mandatory vaccination and promoting censorship on social networks by government agencies.
Kennedy says he will forgive Snowden and Assange
While RFK’s defense of individual liberties drew applause at the convention, the moment of greatest recognition came when the independent candidate questioned Trump for not pardoning former CIA employee and NSA contractor Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
“He should be celebrated as a hero,” Kennedy said, referring to Assange. “He shouldn’t be in prison; we should have a monument to him in Washington D.C. ... I’m gonna do what President Trump should have done on his first day in office. I’m going to pardon Edward Snowden and drop all charges against Julian Assange.”
