4.2 • 244 Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2024
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
In the year since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially launched his presidential campaign, his extreme conspiracies and very online outreach tactics have added up to a pretty effective independent bid. Today on Wired Politics Lab, we look into how RFK Jr. continues to build a following. We talk about his recent VP pick, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, his media outreach, and the staff behind it all. And, of course, how his push for ballot access in the US might make him a spoiler candidate in the 2024 election.
You can find more from Makena Kelly on RFK Jr. here, and from Anna Merlan here. Be sure to subscribe to WIRED Politics Lab here.
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0:00.0 | eBay. It's a place to fall in love with new, pre-loved, vintage and rare fashion over and over again. |
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0:16.2 | Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next president of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. |
0:32.1 | Welcome to Wired Politics Lab, a show about how tech is changing politics. |
0:40.0 | I'm Leah Feiger, the senior politics editor at Wired. |
0:44.1 | Today on the show, we're going to be talking all about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who officially launched his campaign for president almost exactly one year ago. |
0:49.1 | I am going to take back this country with your help, |
0:52.2 | the help of all the homeless Republicans and Democrats |
0:55.1 | and independents who are Americans first. Thank you all. |
1:01.4 | RFK Jr.'s history, his extreme conspiracies, and his very online campaign tactics have all |
1:07.5 | added up to a pretty effective independent presidential bid, one that continues to build |
1:12.5 | a following. In recent weeks, he's been everywhere, announcing his Silicon Valley VP pick |
1:17.6 | There is no American more qualified than Nicole Shanahan to play this role. Appearing on dozens |
1:24.2 | of podcasts to promote the campaign, pushing to actually get on the ballot |
1:28.0 | across the United States. And six months from now, he might be a spoiler candidate in the |
1:32.9 | 2024 election. Joining me in the studio to talk about all of that and more is McKenna Kelly, |
1:38.0 | a senior politics writer at Wired, who also puts together our fabulous politics lab newsletter. |
1:43.0 | McKenna, hi, how are your allergies? |
1:45.3 | I'm loaded up on SIRTEC, but I'm very excited to be here. Fantastic. And also, Anna Merlin, |
1:52.6 | a wired contributor and RFK Jr. expert. Anna, how busy are you these days keeping up with the |
1:57.5 | campaign? Depressingly busy. I mean, not the worst problem, but also not the |
2:03.8 | best. Not the best. Not the best. You've been covering RFK for years. It's not just been recently. Take us |
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