{"id":2252695,"date":"2024-05-25T11:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T15:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/libertarians-contend-with-trump-and-rfk-commandeering-their-convention\/"},"modified":"2024-05-25T11:05:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-25T15:05:35","slug":"libertarians-contend-with-trump-and-rfk-commandeering-their-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/libertarians-contend-with-trump-and-rfk-commandeering-their-convention\/","title":{"rendered":"Libertarians challenge Trump and RFK at their convention"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flibertarians-contend-with-trump-and-rfk-commandeering-their-convention%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2252695&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Members of the\u200d Libertarian Party are divided over the controversial decision\u200c to\u200b have former President Donald Trump and Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. \u2062speak at their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/firm-linked-to-joe-biden-scrubs-website-of-all-china-related-business\/\" title=\"Firm Linked To Joe Biden Scrubs Website Of All China Related Business\">national convention<\/a>. The presence of these figures sparked internal\u2062 turmoil, \u2063with concerns raised about conflicting \u2063messages and brand confusion within the party. The event saw disruptive moments and differing \u2064opinions \u2064among party members.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/libertarian-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Libertarian Party\">Libertarian Party<\/a> are divided about leadership\u2019s decision to allow former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and Independent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/robert-kennedy-jr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Libertarian Party\">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> to speak at the party\u2019s national convention this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Trump is scheduled to address party members Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C., while Kennedy spoke on Friday. However, members running for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>president<\/a> and the chairmanship hold varying views of both candidates\u2019s participation in the convention. <\/p>\n<p>Libertarian National Committee Chair candidate Mark Rutherford called the decision to invite both candidates \u201cinappropriate.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s inappropriate, so is Kennedy, because they are going to be competing against our candidates,\u201d Rutherford said to the<em> Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThis is about our candidates. That should be the focus. I don\u2019t care \u2014 the publicity. It\u2019s going to confuse people. Why are these people here? Are they Kennedy supporters? Are they Trump supporters? Who are they?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The party\u2019s business was interrupted Friday night after one delegate attempted to issue a motion to remove Trump from the schedule. Another delegate then shouted into the microphone that the party should tell Trump to \u201cgo f*** himself\u201d and attempted to rush the stage before being removed from the room. <\/p>\n<p>Possible vice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-knows-he-messed-up-on-fracking-at-debate-and-is-now-doing-damage-control-the-daily-wire\/\" title=\"Joe Biden Knows He Messed Up On Fracking At Debate And Is Now Doing Damage Control | The Daily Wire\">presidential candidate<\/a> Vivek Ramaswamy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3017601\/ramaswamy-draws-boos-libertarian-convention-mentioning-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"was also boo\u2019ed\">also received boos<\/a> during his speech when he brought up Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> after his speech, Ramaswamy touted the \u201chistoric moment\u201d of Trump and himself speaking at the Libertarian party\u2019s convention. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s a good thing. And so I think it\u2019s a good thing and a beautiful moment for the country,\u201d said Ramaswamy. <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Charles Ballay, a presidential candidate for the Liberation party, said while he didn\u2019t have a problem with Trump and Kennedy speaking, he did have worries that their presence could confuse the party\u2019s message to the public.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would hate to see that, you know, you guys publish something that they think that all libertarians are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/MAGA\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>MAGA<\/a> supporters or RFK supporters,\u201d said Ballay. \u201cI think sometimes some of the headlines that I\u2019ve seen over the past week or two could be misconstrued and that\u2019s unfortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Libertarian National Committee presidential candidate Chase Oliver echoed Ballay\u2019s concerns that Trump and Kennedy\u2019s presence at the Washington D.C. convention would confuse the party\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy real fear with them speaking here is that it confuses our brand with a casual voter,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cMost voters aren\u2019t super keyed in yet, and so when they see Donald Trump or RFK, speaking in front of a Libertarian Party banner, or even God forbid, claiming to be a libertarian when they clearly are not, that will confuse our brand.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle defended the decision by touting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnns-jim-acosta-admits-to-media-bias-against-the-president\/\" title=\"CNN\u2019S Jim Acosta admits to media bias against the President\">national attention<\/a> that having Trump and Kennedy speak at the convention has given party candidates. <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cI think that the media attention that we\u2019ve gotten our candidates specifically from inviting these other people has been an unprecedented amazing move, and that it\u2019s very good for the party and specifically for our presidential and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vice-president\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>vice presidential<\/a> candidates,\u201d McArdle said. <\/p>\n<p>Still, not all of the party\u2019s candidates were concerned about inviting the candidates. Michael Rectenwald, another presidential candidate, felt that Trump and Kennedy attending the convention provided members an \u201copportunity\u201d to draw a sharp contrast instead, and rejected the idea that inviting the candidates meant the party was \u201cselling itself out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s this kind of sense from some of the contingents within the Libertarian Party that inviting Trump means that the party is somehow you know, selling itself out to the right wing or something like that. That\u2019s absolutely untrue,\u201d said Rectenwald. \u201cThere is no contingent within the Libertarian party that wants to make the party more Trump-like. That\u2019s absolutely a mischaracterization\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump will need the support of Libertarians and moderate voters in order to win a second term in the White House. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An average of national polling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/president\/general\/2024\/trump-vs-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"by RealClearPolitics\">by <em>RealClearPolitics<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>sees Trump leading Biden currently in a head-to-head race, though still within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p>The Libertarian Party is holding the convention to chose its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-calls-travel-lid-for-wednesday-an-hour-after-bobulinski-interview-airs\/\" title=\"Biden Calls Travel Lid for Wednesday an Hour After Bobulinski Interview Airs\">presidential nominee<\/a>, though a final nomination won\u2019t happen till Sunday.\u00a0The nominee will appear on ballot in November competing\u00a0against Trump,\u00a0Kennedy,\u00a0and Biden.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Libertarian Party is split over the choice to host speeches by former President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at their national convention. Trump is set to speak on Saturday at the Washington Hilton in D.C., with Kennedy already addressing attendees on Friday. internal divisions may impact the event&#8217;s unity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2912,"featured_media":2252696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24145774757209.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2252695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24145774757209.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2912"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2252695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2252696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2252695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2252695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2252695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}