Republicans and Democrats criticized Nicole Shanahan’s choice as a Silicon Valley attorney and entrepreneur.
OAKLAND, California — Moments after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named Silicon Valley attorney and businessman Nicole Shanahan as his running mate on March 26, the separate presidential candidate faced opposition from both Democrats and Republicans in favor of the choice.
In Oakland, where Ms. Shanahan grew up, Mr. Kennedy called the solution a teaser for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
According to Mr. Kennedy,” Millions of Americans are not going to voting at all if they’re never given a choice,” citing polls that show more than half of British voters do not want to see a fight between the two presidents. They’re just withdrawing from republic. Also, Nicole and I are going to offer those thousands another selection”.
After Ms. Shanahan was announced as Mr. Kennedy’s working partner, President Trump expressed his view on Truth Social.
” RFK Jr. is the most Radical Left Member in the contest, by much. He’s a great admirer of the Green New Scam, and other business shooting disasters. I suppose this may indicate that he will be attempting to win Crooked Joe Biden’s support, which would be a wonderful service to America. His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, is even more’ Secular’ than him, if that’s feasible. Kennedy is a Radical Left Democrat, and always will be!!! It’s wonderful for MAGA, but the Communists may make it very difficult for him to appear on the ballot. Hope him, and her, to been indicted any day now, perhaps for Environmental Fraud! He is Crooked Joe Biden’s Social Challenger, not mine. I love that he is running”!
The criticism was in stark contrast to the beginning of his plan, when Mr. Kennedy was running against President Biden in the Democratic Party key.
President Trump called Mr. Kennedy” a pretty smart people” and noted “he’s hit a little bit of a nerve”, “his heart is in the right location”, and “he’s doing actually well”.
The former president’s views changed when Mr. Kennedy announced next October he had run as an independent.
President Trump and President Kennedy share related opinions on issues like ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict and protecting the U.S. Mexico border.
The most significant discrepancies between Mr. Kennedy and President Trump are found in COVID-19, where Mr. Kennedy has criticized the former president for” never asking the questions he may have” during the pandemic.
President Trump “knew that evacuations were wrong” and therefore “agreed to shutdowns”, Mr. Kennedy said.
He even “knew that hydroxychloroquine worked, he said it”, Mr. Kennedy explained, adding that he was finally “rolled over” by Dr. Anthony Fauci and his experts.
An outspoken critic of President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed system that escalated the presence of COVID- 19 vaccines, Mr. Kennedy said on X, previously known as Twitter, that” Donald Trump evidently has n’t learned from his COVID- time mistakes” as the former president has constantly praised the program.
He does n’t realize how ineffective his warp speed vaccine is when seniors are advised to get the ninth shot. Even more disturbing is the documented damage being caused by the chance to so many honest children and adults who are suffering disease, myocarditis, and head inflammation”, Mr. Kennedy said last month.
On March 26, Mr. Kennedy said President Biden and President Trump “both worked to close our Main Street businesses for a year ( during COVID ) —3.3 million businesses—with no due process, no scientific citation no public hearings, and no environmental impacts.
Those plans” transferred$ 4 trillion from the middle school “and” created 500 new entrepreneurs in 500 times. Collectively, they ran up a greater loan than all past presidents combined since George Washington, “he added.
We you anticipate and does deserve more of the same if we cast a ballot for either of them once more.
RFK Jr. ‘ Funded by MAGA ‘
A vehicle from the DNC made its way to the place on March 26 and made a circled the road. On both sides, video boards with images of Mr. Kennedy and President Trump and messages like” RFK Jr. has the same biggest donor as Donald Trump” and” RFK Jr. is funded by MAGA” were adorned.
Timothy Mellon, who is one of President Trump’s top donors, has given more than$ 20 million to Kennedy- aligned super PAC American Values 2024, according to Federal Election Commission ( FEC ) filings.
Additionally, according to the study, Mr. Kennedy has a shield preference score that is 24 points higher than President Biden and 13 points higher than President Trump.
The DNC has provided funding for billboards in numerous places that proclaim that President Trump benefits from Mr. Kennedy’s participation in the competition.
The DNC announced earlier this month that a team would be formed to challenge separate and third-party individuals.
It hired Lis Smith, a former Democrat strategist who managed Pete Buttigieg’s ineffective 2020 presidential campaign, to spear an extreme communication plan to overcome Mr. Kennedy, separate Cornel West, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
Following its March 4 complaint with the FEC alleging that American Values 2024 did not disclose$ 10 million in loans, news of the DNC’s campaign came in.
The DNC has claimed twice in a single month that American Values 2024 has violated federal finance campaign law.
As President Biden’s job approval rating falls and questions about his mental capacity grow, the DNC’s complaints about the FEC allegations serve as examples of how the party tried to destabilize Mr. Kennedy’s campaign.
The DNC and the president’s supporters are accusing Mr. Kennedy of being propped up by the Trump movement, as well as highlighting similar Trump–Kennedy policy stances in the areas of border security, U. S. funding for Ukraine, and vaccine mandates.
On multiple occasions, DNC officials have called Mr. Kennedy” a stalking horse” for President Trump.
It is obvious that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being supported and funded by Donald Trump and his supporters because they think he would make a good stalking horse to support Donald Trump in the election. We need to sound that alarm every day between now and the election,” Ms. Smith said.
In Real Clear Politics average of polls as of March 26, President Trump led with 42 percent followed by President Biden ( 39.6 percent ), Mr. Kennedy ( 12 percent ), Green Party nominee Jill Stein ( 2 percent ), and independent Cornel West ( 1.9 percent )
In three separate polls released on March 25, Mr. Kennedy received a score of 12 to 14 percent, with Ms. Stein and Mr. West receiving a lead.
Biden Surrogates Sound Alarm
The DNC held a press call on March 26 following Mr. Kennedy’s vice presidential pick.
Numerous President Biden surrogates reaffirmed the claim that President Trump benefits from Mr. Kennedy’s candidacy.
Lt. Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Austin Davis noted,  ”, We’re doing everything in our power to get President Biden and Vice President Harris reelected. Therefore, it is crucial that we consider every conceivable impediment in the way that that goal is achieved. And let me be clear, that’s exactly what Robert F Kennedy is in this election. He’s a spoiler.”
There is no path for Kennedy to become president, according to Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow, who is aware of this. In a number of states, he chose a VP who can get his way onto the ballot.
According to her, Mr. Kennedy’s participation increases the likelihood that Donald Trump will win the presidency once more.
Leading up to the March 26 announcement, Mr. Kennedy continued to get backlash from some of his family members.
On March 17, his sister, Kerry Kennedy, posted a photo of President Biden and a dozen Kennedys on X.
” I feel strongly that this is the most important election of our lifetime, and there’s so much at stake. And I do believe that a small number of votes in a small number of states will determine the outcome. And I worry that Bobby simply getting some of Biden’s votes could affect the outcome of Trump’s election, she told CNN last week when asked about her comment.
Mr. Kennedy has mentioned to his campaign staff that he has more than 100 family members and that many of them are engaged in campaign work multiple times on the campaign trail. Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter- in- law, is his campaign manager.
Some experts believe that President Trump might suffer as a result of the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket.
James Carville, a long-time aide to the Democratic Party, stated to MSNBC on March 26 that” I actually believe Bobby Kennedy might hurt Trump more.”
According to Mr. Carville, President Biden might be more adversely affected by independent Cornel West and Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
A Political Novice
A late- breaking candidate in Mr. Kennedy’s months- long search for a vice president, Ms. Shanahan, 38, is a political novice.
She was previously wed to Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. The lawyer, entrepreneur, and investor helped fund and create Mr. Kennedy’s$ 7 million Super Bowl campaign ad.
According to Forbes, Ms. Shanahan has previously donated to Democrats Pete Buttigieg and Marianne Williamson’s presidential campaigns.
In 2020, she gave the Biden Victory Fund$ 25, 000.
When Mr. Kennedy was still running in the Democrat presidential primary, Ms. Shanahan contributed the maximum of$ 6, 600 to the candidate’s campaign, the New York Times reported.
During her address on March 26, she remarked,” In this moment, I am leaving the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of compassion. It is supposed to be a party of science and diplomacy. It is supposed to be the party of civil liberties, free speech, and most importantly, the party of the middle class and the American dream.”
Democrats have “lost their way.”
I want to point out that I’ve had contact with many people in the Democratic Party, even though I know many Democrats still uphold those values. I do believe they’ve lost their way and their leadership”.
Ms. Shanahan continued,” Overall in this country, on every ballot in this country,” noting that she will spend the next several months devoted to putting Mr. Kennedy on “every single ballot.”
Katie Sokolski- Spear left the Democratic Party after backing Bernie Sanders ‘ unsuccessful presidential campaigns that the DNC thwarted.
” What the DNC is doing gives me talking points to share with my friends. No debates. Nobody]is ] allowed to run against Biden. No Secret Service protection. All of these maneuvers prevent him from being chosen. She told The Epoch Times,” I will never again support the Democrat party.”
Her husband, Joseph Sokolski-Spear, said he is optimistic that Republicans and Democrats who dislike their respective candidates will learn more about Mr. Kennedy.
” I think a lot of people get sucked into the notion of supporting their team like it’s a football team and not paying attention to the issues. When it is obvious that their party is still fighting for the same issues, those who do n’t pay attention, he said, “people who do n’t pay attention think what their party once did is still fighting for the same issues.”
Democrats “keep focusing on identity politics and not issues people care about, like the economy, the corruption, medical freedom, and never- ending wars. It’s just to keep people on their team”, Ms. Sokolski- Spear added.
” They’re not talking about what they’re going to do to lower gas prices. They’re not talking about what they’re going to do to make our lives better”.
Ms. Shanahan believes that the Kennedy- Shanahan ticket can reach more voters like Mr. and Mrs. Sokolski- Spear.
I did n’t have any faith in the outcome of this election until I met Bobby and the people who supported him. She said,” I see so many Republicans becoming disillusioned with their party as I become disillusioned with mine.”
” If you are one of those disillusioned Republicans, I welcome you to join me, a disillusioned Democrat, in this movement to unify and heal America”.