Former President Trump welcomed a court ruling that independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will no longer appear on ballots in North Carolina, acknowledging the risk Kennedy could pose to him in battleground states.
North Carolina’s State Board of Elections voted last week to reject Kennedy’s request for removal. He challenged the decision, and a Wake County Superior Court ruled Thursday that he must remain on the ballot.
A judge halted the state from distributing mail-in ballots that still have Kennedy’s name on them Friday, delaying the start of voting for a possible appeal.
“And that sounds like a bad thing for him. It’s not, it’s actually a great thing,” Trump said Friday in remarks to leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte. “He’s an incredible team player.”
“Some people wouldn’t realize it, so rather than voting for us they vote for him, and that wouldn’t’ help us very much, would it?” Trump continued. “It means that all of those who love Bobby — and there’s a lot of them — and all that he stands for, especially regarding the health and well being of us, can vote for me now. So all of the Bobby people are going to vote for me.”
Kennedy threw his support behind Trump last month, after suspending most of his own independent White House bid, but his name could still hurt the GOP nominee. He is still expected to appear on ballots in most red and blue states, but Kennedy said he would remove his name from battleground states where it could make a difference in the race.
A Michigan court also ordered Friday that Kennedy be removed from the state’s general election ballot, overturning previous efforts to keep his name on the ballot.
Wisconsin, another critical swing state, declined to remove him from its ballot.
