A top Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign official and longtime anti-vaxxer says her overarching goal is to ruin Joe Biden’s chances of winning reelection in November, telling a group of GOP voters that the current president is “our mutual enemy.”
In a half-hour speech to the Empire State Republicans, Rita Palma, director of Kennedy’s New York State operation, shared her strategy for deep-sixing Biden’s run, describing his defeat as the “number one priority for me.”
“Right now, the task we have at hand is collecting 45,000 signatures to get Bobby on the ballot,” Palma said in footage of the gathering that was posted to YouTube but has since been deleted. “However much I adore Bobby Kennedy, I am a two-time Trump voter. I knocked on doors for him in Pennsylvania, in ‘16 and ‘20. I have more Trump T-shirts than I do Bobby Kennedy T-shirts… So, I was a strong Trump voter. But frankly, with the [support he showed for] vaccines, he lost me.”
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In the video, a copy of which was viewed by The Daily Beast, Palma laid out her plans to siphon votes away from Biden, conceding that it still would not lead to a Kennedy win. However, she continued, “If I wake up November 6, and Trump wins, I’m not going to be overly upset.”
“But if Biden wins, we’re all going to be terribly upset, because he’s ruining America,” Palma went on. “And the people that control him are ruining our country. So that’s kind of, you know, the framework from which I’m coming tonight.”
Palma’s organization, My Kids, My Choice, provides materials for parents to claim “religious exemptions” for vaccinating their children. Her now-private X—formerly Twitter—profile describes her as a “vaccine choice OG.”
“ALL vaccines have problems,” it says.
Palma did not respond to emails and texts requesting comment. Her voicemail was full on Monday, and unable to accept messages.
In a statement issued Monday, Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni said of the comments: “RFK Jr.’s campaign is saying the quiet part out loud: he is a spoiler for Donald Trump.
“RFK Jr. was recruited into this race by Trump allies, his candidacy is propped up by Trump’s largest donor, and now his own staff admits that their number one goal in this election is stopping Joe Biden. As the saying goes, when people show you who they are, believe them: RFK Jr.’s campaign isn’t building a plan or a strategy to get 270 electoral votes, they’re building one to help Trump return to the Oval Office.”
Palma, who in the video described her politics as “right of center,” told the assembled crowd that Republicans must accept the fact that “New York, Maryland… Illinois, California, New Jersey, Connecticut—most of the Northeast is going to go blue.” She claimed Kennedy is taking votes from both sides, but is “pulling a little bit more from Biden, which explains why the DNC is kind of ganging up on him” to keep him off the ballot.
“Okay, so how do we block Biden from winning the presidency?” Palma asked. “Like I said, that’s the number one priority for me.”
So, she said, “Why wouldn't we put our vote to Bobby, and at least get rid of Biden and get those 28 electoral votes in New York?”
“And we all know how that works, right?” Palma said. “270 wins the election. If you don’t get to 270, if nobody gets 270, then Congress picks the president. So, who are they going to pick, if it’s a Republican Congress? They’ll pick Trump. So we’re rid of Biden, either way. Does everybody follow that?”
If Kennedy wins four blue states, “there’s no way [Biden] can get in,” Palma instructed the crowd.
She told the group that she recently started working for the Kennedy campaign again after joining, then quitting, last summer. She then came up with the idea to solicit Republicans with a message of “make your red vote count,” she said, admitting that it “is kind of a weird message… because it’s almost like you’re not promoting Bobby on his own merits.”
“You know, you’re saying, ‘Well, Biden’s a disaster, so vote for my guy,’” Palma said. “It’s kind of an unusual campaign message, but I was doing it anyway. And I was just talking to people, because I wasn’t employed by anybody, so I could do whatever I wanted. And people kept continually telling me… ‘That’s a really good idea.’”
Palma said she told the Kennedy campaign that she would work as the New York State director “if I’m allowed to preach that, if I’m allowed to get that message out there… because I think this is a really winning strategy.”
She said she will be bringing her plan of attack to radio stations, conservative outlets, local publications, and is looking for “people with good strong Twitter followings to get the word out there.”
And, Palma emphasized, even if those in the audience did not plan on voting for Kennedy in November, they should sign petitions to get Kennedy on the New York ballot to ensure a Biden loss.
“We’re just spicing up the election,” she said. “We’re just making it more interesting… We’re all on the same team right now, and we’ll be on the same team later—as long as Trump or Kennedy wins.”
According to Palma, Kennedy is something of a Trumpist when it comes to immigration, saying that he “believes the border should be closed.” She also argued that Kennedy will be able to hit the ground running because he had relatives in office.
“Bobby doesn’t have to go to president school,” Palma claimed. “He knows how to be a president. He knows the history. He knows what his father did. And his uncle did. He understands all the different roles. He knows exactly what to do to disable these three-letter agencies that are totally… ruining our lives.”
Palma’s remarks to the Empire State Republicans echoed those she shared on social media last week. In one, she wrote: “Just a friendly reminder, NY, Cali, Illinois, CT, NJ, MD … let’s take those votes from Biden so Joe’s a loser.”
In another, she wrote: “Dear Republican, Make your RED Vote Count! … Republican voters ALL complain their vote is wasted in BLUE YORK. Winning the Presidency is ALL ABOUT the ELECTORAL VOTES; don’t give Biden our 26!”
New York in fact has 28 electoral votes.
On April 28, Palma will be co-hosting a private reception for Kennedy in Melville, New York. Tickets are available at the “Supporter” level, for $1,500, which gets them admission to the event, hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and a photo opportunity with the candidate. “Premier” and “Maximum” donors who fork over $3,300 and $6,600, respectively, are entitled to “heavy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails,” according to the invitation.
