A consultant for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign told New York voters recently that getting Kennedy ballot access in the Empire State would aid in getting “rid of Biden” and propelling Donald Trump back to the presidency, according to a leaked video reviewed by The Post.
Rita Palma — a ballot access consultant for Kennedy who claimed to have voted for Trump twice — was recorded speaking to voters last week about the necessity of getting the 70-year-old scion’s name on ballots across all 50 states.
“The Kennedy voter and the Trump voter, the enemy, our mutual enemy is Biden,” Palma said in the video, first reported on by CNN.
After checking that there were no Biden voters in attendance, Palma argued RFK Jr. has the ability to capture Democrat votes in blue states, blocking Biden from getting the 270 electoral votes needed to win a second term.
“Bobby’s moving the blues on his own,” Palma said. “If the Republicans accepted the fact that New York, Maryland, Illinois, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, most of the northeast is going to go blue, why wouldn’t we put our vote to Bobby and at least get rid of Biden and give those 28 electoral votes in New York … to Bobby, rather than to Biden?”
“We all know how that works, right? 270 wins the election,” Palma went on. “If you don’t get to 270, if nobody gets to 270, then Congress picks the president. So who are they going to pick? Who are they going to pick, if it’s a Republican Congress? They’ll pick Trump. So we’re rid of Biden either way.”
“All we need is like four blue states, and there’s no way [Biden] can get in,” she added.
The Democratic National Committee quickly issued a statement accusing Kennedy’s team of saying the “quiet part out loud” about being a spoiler for Trump.
“RFK Jr. was recruited into this race by Trump allies, his candidacy is propped up by Trump’s largest donor, and now his own staff admits that their number one goal in this election is stopping Joe Biden,” said DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni. “As the saying goes, when people show you who they are, believe them: RFK Jr.’s campaign isn’t building a plan or a strategy to get 270 electoral votes, they’re building one to help Trump return to the Oval Office.”
Kennedy’s campaign responded to the backlash by insisting that Palma was speaking “as a private citizen” and was not relaying campaign strategy.
“Rita Palma was hired a couple of weeks ago as a ballot access consultant, responsible for scheduling volunteer shifts during our upcoming signature collection drive in the Empire State. She has no involvement in — or access to — electoral strategy, nationally or in New York,” campaign manager Amaryllis Fox said on X Monday afternoon.
“The video circulating was not taken at a campaign event. Palma was speaking as a private citizen and her statements in no way reflect campaign strategy, the sole aim of which is to win the White House with votes from former Trump and Biden supporters alike.”
Kennedy, who initially ran against Biden as a Democrat before switching to an independent run, has said he aims to be a “spoiler” for both Trump and Biden in November by taking votes from both candidates.
The son of the late attorney general and senator from New York Robert F. Kennedy is averaging 9.9% support in a five-way matchup involving Trump, Biden, fellow independent Cornel West and Green Party nominee Jill Stein.