Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s Independent Campaign Announcement Started Out With Technical Difficulties

As the presidential race for the upcoming 2024 elections heats up, the former Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decided to part ways with the party and recently launched an independent campaign. The American attorney addressed his supporters on Monday, October 9, 2023. However, the announcement began on a 'shaky' note, and he struggled to find and read his speech since his teleprompter was reportedly 'upside down,' as per Business Insider. 

The presidential hopeful then said, "I need my speech," as he first put his hands inside his pocket to look for the paper but couldn't find it. Kennedy Jr. went backstage and could be overheard saying, "You can't read anything. It's upside down! It's upside down," as he panicked. The Philadelphia crowd laughed at the minor hiccup. 

One of Kennedy Jr.'s team members came to his rescue, calmed him down, and asked the lawyer 'not to worry.' Initially, it wasn't clear right off the bat what the actual issue was, but soon after, the lawyer-turned-politician returned to the podium and continued to address the Philadelphia supporters while reading from the teleprompter. 

The 69-year-old finally began his announcement by saying, "I am here to declare myself an independent candidate for president of the United States." Kennedy Jr.'s decision signified he'd no longer be running as a Democrat against Joe Biden. He addressed, "Today, we turn a new page in American politics. There have been independent candidates in this country before, but this time, it's going to be different. Because this time, the independent is gonna win," he claimed.

RFK Jr. continued, "I'm coming here today to declare our independence from the journey of corruption, which robs us of affordable lives, our belief in the future, and our respect for each other. But to do that, I must first declare my own independence, independence from the Democratic Party," as per ABC News.

The United States has become a two-party nation: Republicans and Democrats. Hence, it is even more challenging for candidates to be accepted if they don't identify as any of the two. Kennedy Jr. will have to overcome plenty of challenges so he can win the votes of the American people being a third-party candidate. Moreover, The Guardian previously reported that the lawyer-turned-politician would be announcing his independent run for the 2024 elections because "Bobby feels that the [Democratic National Committee] is changing the rules to exclude his candidacy, so an independent run is the only way to go." 

Mark Gorton, the co-founder of American Values 2024, the super PAC supporting Kennedy's campaign, said, "I think it's very important that Bobby a year from now be polling at the very least in the mid-to-high 30s in order to be seen as viable as anyone," reported CNN. "We need to be getting 1%, 1.5% of the electorate each month, but that's a doable task."

Kennedy Jr. initially announced his campaign as a Democrat on April 19, 2023. But he reportedly decided to run independently. Apparently, his decision came after meeting with the chair of the Libertarian Party in early September.

Meanwhile, the environmental lawyer also said in his speech that he'd be 'spoiling' the 2024 presidential elections for his political rivals Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump. "They say my impact is only going to draw votes from the other candidates. The Democrats are frightened that I'm going to spoil the election for President Biden," Kennedy Jr. claimed. "The Republicans are frightened that I'm going to spoil it for President Trump. The truth is they're both right." He concluded, "My intention is to spoil it for both of them."